


Innocence Within

by ViviV



Category: Attack on Titan, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Love, Child Eren Yeager, Eventual Happy Ending, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Heartwarming, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Levi-centric (Shingeki no Kyojin), Levi/Eren Yeager-centric, One-Sided Levi/Petra Ral, Other, Possessive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan References, Titan Eren Yeager, Titan Shifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2020-08-10 04:49:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 52,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20129611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViviV/pseuds/ViviV
Summary: “I am not a hero.” He was a warrior, and that was the only title he ever wore. He did not know how to be anything other than that.Eren’s smile melted away the ice and snow he had arduously put up, “You are mine.”AU: 5-year-old Eren can turn into a titan, and is in custody of Levi. Levi struggles with the responsibility of taking care of a child. In time, his icy exterior is melted by the innocence of the purest heart. Similarly, Eren gets attached to the seemingly coldhearted Levi and sees him as someone who can carry the weight of his world.Heartwarming and heartbreaking. (No pairings.)





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> **Background**:
> 
> **Eren**: 5 years old, living in an orphanage with Mikasa and Armin, can turn into a rather small titan
> 
> **Levi**: 24 years old, is already Corporal, currently on leave from missions due to injury, hates children
> 
>   
**Warnings**:
> 
> (1) All OC(s) are side characters and annoying as f**k
> 
> (2) Minor/major character death(s); **not Levi or Eren, though**
> 
> (3) Kept close to canon but may appear slightly OOC at some times
> 
> (4) Slightly abusive (child abuse)
> 
> Give this story a chance, you won't regret it!
> 
> Ultimately happy ending!

****

**Preface**  
...  
...  
...

Levi's face was expressionless as he watched the small, trembling boy behind those cold bars that separated them. The boy's eyes shined brightly under the dim light, but were filled with fear, averting his gaze as soon as their eyes met. He looked scared, lonely, and very much out of place.

So this was the "monster" they've been talking about, this child? What a joke. Levi thought bitterly. As his eyes darted to the heavy chains around the boy's wrists and ankles, he let out a scoff of disdain. The way the authority treated this matter was laughable. There was no need to cruelly withhold this boy. He was just a kid. Viewing him as a threat only proved how weak and frightened humanity is.

The boy's face fell as he slowly realized that the man staring at him had no intention of letting him out whatsoever. He was just there to observe him, just like the others before.

On the other side of the bars, Levi felt somewhat disappointed too. Nothing about the boy interested him. He was just like any other kid.

Levi turned away swiftly and made his way down the seemingly endless hallway. He could feel those emerald green eyes following him, piercing into his back, even when he walked out of sight.

...  
...  
...


	2. Unchained

...  
...  
...  
"Not interested." Levi replied curtly. He didn't like kids. Never have. No matter how old they were, or how well behaved, he just didn't like them. Kids were loud, dirty, and troublesome. He felt strong annoyance from merely looking at them.

"It's for two months." Erwin continued without missing a beat, overlooking Levi's abrupt refusal, "But if you are not the guardian, the authority is not going to hand the boy over to the Survey Corps."

Levi's face dropped. Guardian? More like babysitter. He had severely injured his left leg during his last mission while trying to save another soldier, and even though the doctors said he would make a full recovery, he would still need plenty of time off. He just thought he'd do some boring paperwork to pass the time, but now he'd been "bestowed" a new mission.

"And why does it have to be me?"

"I suggested it. The authority is afraid of the kid going ballistic again. They will only renounce custody if he is entrusted to someone who can completely hold him down."

Levi raised his eyes coldly, "And if I refuse? What will happen to him?" It was true that Erwin was his superior and if this were an order, Levi would have no rights to decline. But Erwin had a certain quality that earned utmost respect from even the most insubordinate people: he liked talking things over first.

"Death row." Erwin answered without a bat of an eyelash, "But, Levi, we need those experimental data. Humanity needs to know the origin of the titans in order to even have the slimmest possibility of winning this war."

Levi's brows had already furrowed together at the sound of "death row". He could suddenly see those helpless, bright eyes staring intently at him behind those cold bars, hoping for something, someone, to hold on to.

He understood where Erwin was coming from. The deaths in the Survey Corps are increasing at an alarming rate, and they were in dire need of new recruits. Only a handful of people are qualified for the role of "guardian", and most of them are on mission at the moment. He was the only one who can idle away at a time like this. He was the perfect candidate. And if Hanji could get some kind of new information from the experiments, it truly would be a huge step forward for humanity.

"Fine." He finally said.

Erwin let out a sigh of relief and smiled tightly before turning away and leaving him in peace.

But Levi did not share his feeling of ease. On the contrary, it felt as if a huge burden had somehow found its way to his shoulders. He had a presentiment that the so-called "looking after" would not be as simple and straightforward as it sounded.

…

…

…

When the Military Police brought Eren Yeager over, Levi was writing out the proposal for the next investigation plan. Even from afar, he could hear the sound of chains conflicting on the floor as the footsteps got louder and louder. He felt deeply irritated at how constrained the boy was. The chains were so heavy that the kid could hardly lift his hands, and needed to drag his feet along to walk. More excessively, he didn't even have any shoes on. Those thin, narrow feet were bruised and dirty, mixed with multiple cuts and scrapes. There was also a long chain around his waist, which one of the solider held firmly in his hand, making him look like a pathetic dog on a leash.

Levi's eyes swept the room quickly. Not including the guy holding the chain, there were four soldiers altogether. This all seemed very exaggerated to him. How scared are they of a 5-year-old boy? Even though he could turn into a titan, it was only a 3-meter-class that destroyed some equipment in the orphanage. Did they really have to restrict his actions like this? Did they think it made them look like they had power over the kid? Because all Levi saw were a few thick-skulled, incompetent imbeciles.

"Corporal Levi, the test subject is here." The man in charge announced rather loudly, "Me and another fellow soldier will remain here to overlook the entire experimental process and – "

"That won't be necessary." Levi interruptedly shortly, "You can all leave."

The leader looked stupefied. "B-But…"

Levi put down his pen and looked up slowly, his eyes so icy that the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. "Are you doubting my ability to watch a 5-year-old?"

"N-No, of course not…"

"Then take off the chains and leave."

The soldiers had heard of how difficult and bad-tempered Levi was. If they really piss him off, it would be much more scarier than the little brat suddenly turning into a titan. They looked at each other mutely, reaching a silent, unanimous decision. The leader quickly unchained the boy and left the room in a hurry.

Silence settled in.

Eren had recognized the man behind the desk as soon as he walked in. He has been dreading who would have custody of himself all the way over. The days he spent in the prison seemed like forever. He could always hear people whispering about him. Even though he wasn't sure what they were saying, words like "monster", "freak" and "dissection" came up plentiful times. At first, he thought they were frightened of the titans, but soon realized that they were talking about him.

Was he a monster?

Staring at his shaking hands, Eren felt lost and confused. He wanted to cry, but Mikasa told him that boys shouldn't always be tearing up, so he bit down on his lower lip and wiped his face with his sleeve awkwardly.

A lot of people had come to see him when he was imprisoned. Most of them stayed a great length away, discussing with each other in low voices. There was only one glasses-wearing female who was more than excited to see him, shouting and gesturing the whole time while leaning against the bars, attempting to stick her head in. Even though she didn't look at him in disgust like the others, she made him feel like a monkey on display.

Then there was this man in front of him now. When he came to Eren's cell, he came by himself, and simply watched him for a while without saying anything. Eren was more or less grateful that he wasn't handed over to someone who was obviously disgusted by him. He didn't understand the word "dissect", but he had gradually come to the fact that nobody liked him. Everyone stayed away from him, and he was locked in a cage to be prevented from contact with others. He can't even go back to the orphanage anymore, but he didn't know why. The last thing he could remember before passing out was that a lot of the older kids were bullying Armin, and he tried to save him. When he woke up, he was already in the cell. His whole body was aching and he was so tired that he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Why was he a monster all of a sudden? He didn't mean to be…

A strangled sob escaped from the boy's throat, drawing Levi's attention. He stopped what he was doing to look at him. The boy still stood in the middle of the room where the soldiers left him, one hand tightly clenched onto the edge of his shirt and the other scurried to attempt to wipe his face clean. He looked comically pathetic.

"Go sit down already." Levi mentioned to the sofa by the window with his chin.

Eren peeked at Levi through the gap of his arm. It's been a long time since anyone had spoken to him directly. He was a little unsure whom Levi was addressing.

Levi sighed in exasperation. Did the kid think he wouldn't know Eren's staring at him through that arm?

A few moments later, Eren tiptoed cautiously to the couch in extreme unease. After stealing a few more glances at Levi, who pretended that he didn't notice, Eren finally climbed up, pulled his knees to his chest and buried his face in them.

"What's your name?" Levi asked, hoping tp force the kid to speak up.. He had obviously known beforehand the name of the boy.

Maybe his tone was too stern; he could clearly see the boy shake at the sound of his voice.

"…E-Eren." His voice was hoarse and filled with hesitance.

"Are you thirsty?"

Eren looked at him incredulously before nodding his head. He had been without food or water for quite a while now. His lips were dry and cracked, and he could barely swallow without feeling the burning sensation in his throat.

"Drink some water." Levi pointed to the cup on his desk. What a bother. The kid would have to use his cup.

Warily, Eren crawled down from the couch, but stepped on his own foot clumsily in the process. Levi's heart literally skipped a beat as Eren almost fell but managed to hold on to the edge of the sofa to refrain from doing so.

Dumb kid. Levi thought.

Eren lifted the glass with both hands and drained the entire portion. A few drops of water escaped from his tiny mouth and dripped down his neck into his shirt.

Filthy. Levi frowned haplessly. It's only been a short while since Eren's been here, and he was already fed up. The couch bared some dirty footprints and his cup had been tainted by another set of lips. Kids really were a bother.

"Do you want more?" Levi snapped.

Eren almost dropped the cup out of fear. He hurriedly shook his head, set the glass back, and raced to his spot on the couch without looking at Levi.

Levi did paperwork all night without acknowledging Eren's existence again. He had finished the proposal a long time ago, and was reading the guardianship requirements Erwin had given to him earlier that day over and over again.

Subject Eren Yeager has to cooperate with the experiments at all costs.

Subject Eren Yeager must be chained every night.

Subject Eren Yeager is only allowed access in certain areas.

Subject Eren Yeager must be monitored by soldiers with rank "Captain" or higher 24 hours a day, 20 of which must be monitored by Corporal Levi.

Subject Eren Yeager is restricted from communication with others.

Subject Eren Yeager must be terminated if turned into a titan without specific orders.

Upon reading the last one, Levi couldn't help but look at the curled-up Eren with the corner of his eye. He was an alright kid altogether, sitting silently by himself and not bothering Levi all day. But those thin shoulders were shaking involuntarily, indicating that he was crying again.

"Come on." Levi suddenly spoke up in a monotonous voice. "…Time for bed." He explained at the bewildered child.

Eren dried his eyes on his sleeve hastily and raised his head, hoping that Levi wouldn't notice he had been crying. The residual tears made his eyes look empty and dull, like he was ready to give up on himself any second.

Levi frowned and took out some handkerchiefs from his drawer. He stuffed them in Eren's pocket tersely, "Wipe your eyes with these, not your clothes."

"…Ok." Eren replied compliantly. This man before his eyes, the one that they called "Corporal", he was indeed scary, but it seemed like he had no intention of hurting himself. The man even gave him pure water, not the murky, filthy one filled with dirt back in the prison. This must mean he must be a good guy…right?

Lost in thought, Eren subconsciously walked over to where the chains were lying on the floor and waited patiently to be cuffed.

Levi witnessed the whole thing, and felt his brows knit together again, "There's no need for that stuff anymore." At least not for walking, he added silently.

Eren stared at him in surprise, the corner of his mouth lifting to form a smile, but realized something at the last second and let the ghost of a smile disappear altogether.

"Let's go." Levi kicked away the tortuous chains roughly.

…

…

…

The basement again. Eren's whole face fell as he took in the dark, gloomy surroundings. There were twin beds on either side of the room, and one of them had new shiny chains on the walls. Eren bit his lip to keep from crying. That must be for him. Did he have to wear them in his sleep? Well, at least he didn't have to wear them when walking around anymore. He thought as he tried to comfort himself.

Levi didn't want to cuff the kid either, but it was stated clearly in the rules that he would have to. He grabbed Eren's wrist a little too roughly and heard a sharp intake of breath. Letting go of him, Levi realized that Eren's wrists were severely bruised and filled with circles of painful abrasions due to wearing the chains for so long. It was the same thing for his ankles too.

Levi eyes narrowed dangerously as he struggled with his demons. It wasn't his responsibility to care for the well being of this child. He was merely a test subject. And the authority had made it pretty clear that the rules cannot be bent. It's not like he had any reasons to disobey.

Trying to convince himself, Levi reached a resolution. He dragged Eren over and cuffed him without hesitating again.

"Go to sleep." He was succinct in giving orders.

Eren shuddered and hurriedly buried himself under the thin, worn-out blanket and squeezed his eyes shut.

Levi felt annoyed at the crouching bundle. Eren was just a kid, but he was all skin and bones. His spine was very visible through that old shirt he was wearing, and his collarbones stood out more than they should as well. He looked severely emaciated.

He seemed to be afraid of him too. The kid was practically leaning against the wall to put as much distance as possible between them. Levi walked over to the other bed and lied down, feeling exhausted and indignant. It had been a really long day.

Maybe because the young boy thought Levi had fallen asleep, he started to sob quietly. He didn't want to be such a crybaby, but his wrists hurt, and he was so hungry… He wanted to go back to Mikasa and Armin. He was elated when he realized that he could finally leave the prison, but all that awaited him was another cell. The man sleeping on the other side of the room looked tough and brutal, even though he hadn't physically hurt him yet, Eren still felt immense fear in his presence.

Levi stared at the ceiling and listened to the suppressed sobs. The world is cruel. The war had taken so many comrades away, and now even kids are being sucked in. When can humanity triumph? Or are they just postponing the inevitable fate of extinction?

Eren's stomach grumbled loudly at this precise second. Levi heard him shushing his stomach in an urgent "Shhhh!" and felt somewhat pity for the poor kid.

"Are you hungry?" He tried to keep his voice as less menacing as possible. It was no surprise. Eren had had nothing to eat since he had been brought over. It had been a whole day already. Come to think of it, of course he'd be hungry. Levi sighed. He really had no clue how to care for kids.

Seeing Eren nod timidly, Levi took off the chains.

"Follow me."

Eren immediately jumped off the bed and ran alongside to keep up with Levi, who had already stepped out of the room. Even though he tried to catch up, the bumpy stone floor was hard on his bruised feet and slowed him down considerably. Their footsteps echoed through the eerie hallway as Eren fell behind.

Looking over his shoulder, Levi saw the barefoot boy strolling painstakingly behind him, holding onto the wall for support. Levi sighed, walked back to the boy and kneeled down before him.

Eren was startled that Levi had suddenly reappeared in front of him, his face so close that Eren could feel the tip of his hair brushing against his cheek. Before he could clearly scrutinize the features on the man's face though, Eren was swiftly scooped up and carried over his shoulder.

Levi didn't know how to hold kids. He merely carried Eren like he would carry a sack of potatoes. He was fairly sure Eren was uncomfortable, but the kid didn't protest or struggle at all, and tamely let Levi carry him all the way to the kitchen in such an awkward position.

Ever since they had lost Wall Maria, agriculture and stock farming hit their lowest points. Food was scarce. Even being in the Survey Corps didn't have its advantage; people only got their own portion of limited food. Setting Eren down at the table, Levi went to look for the food distributed down to Eren. His jawline tightened as he found it. The authority had only given Eren a piece of stale bread as big as the kid's fist.

Levi couldn't help but remember another set of rules he had read earlier about keeping Eren famished in case he goes ballistic. But this joke of a meal? Eren would be lucky if he didn't starve to death. Levi's hand closed upon the back of the chair, his knuckles turning white from using too much force. He took out Hanji's portion of food without hesitation and brought it over instead.

Eren's mouth dropped open at the festive meal before him. He can't remember how long it has been since he had any proper food. Even though he didn't die from starvation in the prison, the food given to him were only scraps of potato skins or some kind of vegetable that tasted like roots, which barely kept him alive. But the food in front of him now was more sumptuous than anything he had ever eaten. The potatoes were cooked and chopped up into small slices, with broccoli as a side. There was even a think slice of meat inside two pieces of bread.

"Is this…a-all for…me?" Eren stammered, his words collapsing into each other.

"Yes. Just eat."

Eren swallowed and started to gobble down the food, almost choking himself in the process. He managed to finish the entire adult's portion, not even leaving behind breadcrumbs. For as long as Eren could remember, he had always been hungry. Gluttony sated him. It wasn't until he was finished that he remembered there was still someone else in the room with him. Eren's invasive eyes darted over to Levi unsurely.

Levi let out a look of disgust at the kid whose whole face had remains of food stuck on it. "Wipe your mouth."

Eren hastily wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he remembered the handkerchiefs Levi had given to him earlier. Is Levi going to be mad that he used his hand instead? Eren shuddered and hurriedly wiped the back of his hand on the table a few times, hoping this would make up for it.

Even though Levi's expression still looked murderous, he was actually in a better mood than before. This was the way a brat should be like, not the jumpy, teary kid he saw earlier. He bent down to carry up Eren again and made his way back to the basement.

Eren had never been held like this. Maybe his parents did when he was young, but he didn't have any recollection of that. The orphanage was filled with kids too, and the nuns only carried the younger ones who didn't know how to walk. What in the world is he feeling right now? Was it because he was actually full for once? He felt warm and reassured even though he was only wearing a thin shirt and carried by a complete stranger. He felt like…he was being hugged…inside out…

When Levi reached the basement again, he didn't feel Eren stir. Turning his head to the side, he realized that the boy had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Some color had finally come into Eren's cheeks so that he didn't look ghastly pale as he did before. Even in his sleep, his tiny fists were clenched tightly, as if refusing to surrender to the unforgiving world. Deep, hot breaths moistened and tickled Levi's neck, but he didn't mind as much as he thought he would. Instead, he carefully sat down as to not wake Eren and simply let the boy lean onto him.

Soon, his arm started to get sore and numb.

But Levi merely closed his eyes and waited patiently for the sunrise.  
...  
...  
...

...


	3. Care

..

...

...

"Who took my food?!"

The unperturbed silence was suddenly disrupted. The people who were staring oddly at Eren all turned their attention to the owner of the urgent voice as well. Only Levi remained nonchalant and continued to slice his bread into two and placing half onto Eren's plate.

"It's you, isn't it, Eld? Or is it you, Nanaba?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I didn't take your food."

"S-Squad Leader Hanji, I'm not really hungry, do you want to share with me?" Seeing that Hanji was close to losing her mind, Petra offered in a rush in hope of calming her down.

Levi gazed down at Eren, who had tried his best to shrink down as to not draw attention to himself. He pushed the plate closer to the kid that was practically cowering under the desk, "Don't mind them. Eat your food."

Eren raised his head and obediently picked up his bread. Last night had been the best sleep he has had in ages. The time in the prison was tormented: not only did he have to wear those heavy chains, but also sleep on the frigid wood board bed, which was so hard that it cut into his back. It didn't help that he was in famine all the time too. Hunger only kept him up at night.

But this morning when he woke up, he was astonished to find himself resting on the calm, collected man sitting next to him now, using his arm as a pillow and his jacket as a blanket. Levi had been frowning with his eyes closed, so Eren wasn't sure whether he was sleeping or not. Once he looked down, Eren was thunderstruck. Someone had carefully bandaged all his wounds on his wrists and ankles. Did the man do this? But…why would he? Why did he bother? Did this mean that he was being taken care of now? Did this mean he was allowed to lean on this man every night?

Reality did not fit Eren's fantasies. Seeing that Eren was awake, Levi promptly shook him off. Breakfast was tortuous as well; as soon as Eren stepped into the room, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared over at him, their sharp glares seemed to be cutting into his flesh. Subsequently, the sibilant whispers began. Eren caught a few words like "monster" and "titan" again, and felt like something was gnawing on his heart, one bite at a time.

Even though he was just a kid, he still realized how anomalous the situation was. Nobody sat by him and Levi. Everyone stayed on the other side of the room, throwing dirty looks at him once in a while. Eren looked down at the table and felt tears in his eyes, clouding his vision. He supposed he really repulsed others… They all hated him, just like the people in the prison did.

It wasn't until Hanji started making a scene that the spotlight finally shifted away from him.

"Wipe your mouth." Levi reminded like he did last night.

Eren subconsciously lifted his arm.

Levi grabbed the kid's forearm in time to stop him from wiping more filth on that already shabby shirt of his. Sighing, he took out a handkerchief and roughly dabbed at Eren's face.

"Hey!" Hanji finally took notice of the small boy sitting by Levi. She stood up eagerly, "Is this the kid, Levi?" Not waiting for a response, she rushed over to them and grabbed Eren's wrists in fever, her face flushed with zealotry.

"Easy, Hanji." Levi whacked her on the back of her head, not bothering to hold back.

Hanji could literally see stars after that blow and realized that she might have used too much force. The kid was staring at her with utmost terror on his face.

"Sorry, Eren. I went to see you before, do you remember? You're my test subject now, ha ha ha ha! I've heard that you can turn into a titan, yeah? How is that? How does it feel? Do you have consciousness during the transition? Is it exciting? Can you turn into one right now?" Hanji's face scooted closer and closer with each question.

"Beat it, four eyes." Levi grabbed the back of her collar and jerked her around brutally.

Hanji merely ignored Levi's hostility and squeezed herself in between him and the boy. She patted Eren on the head, pinched his cheeks and pulled on his ears, "Well, he looks just like a normal little boy, huh, Levi?"

"Squad Leader!" Even though Petra felt uneasy in the presence of the kid who can turn into a titan, she still dashed over at the discontented look on Levi's face and tried to pull Hanji away. "…Maybe we should let them eat first…?"

Eren looked up abruptly at Petra, his limpid eyes filled with gratitude. Petra blinked. She had suddenly forgotten why she had been so unsure about Eren. He was just a child; he shouldn't endure all those vicious comments and judgments.

"My name's Petra, nice to meet you." Petra smiled at him.

It was Eren's turn to be shocked. He didn't really know how to respond to kindness anymore.

"Eren," Levi glimpsed at him, "Don't be impolite." He reprimanded lightly.

Eren jumped at the accusation. "…I'm…Eren…" He murmured, his voice so soft that he couldn't even hear it clearly, "N-Nice to meet you too…"

Petra took out a piece of candy from her pocket and placed it in Eren's hand. "For you." She said genially as she finally pulled up Hanji.

"Eren! I'll see you in the lab!" Being dragged away, Hanji called out over her shoulder in glee.

Levi had stood up too. He calmly pushed his chair back and mentioned for Eren to follow him, "Come on."

Eren scurried to climb down from his chair and ran to catch up to the long strides Levi was taking. His hand closed tightly upon the candy Petra had given him. He was reluctant to eat it not because he didn't like candy, but because it had been quite a while since someone treated him like a normal human being, let alone a regular kid. He pocketed it discreetly. For a moment, he could swear he could feel the warmth spreading all the way to his heart.

…

…

…

Levi despised the bazaar. It was always so crowded and so dirty. Not to mention loud. Eren walked torpidly due to the fact that he didn't have any shoes, and was almost pushed away from Levi because of the crowd. Levi had no choice but to pick him up again. This was why he found kids irksome: they were so needy.

On the other hand, Eren was more than excited to be outside again instead of being cooped up in that cell. He basked lazily in the warm sunlight and enjoyed the gentle breeze of wind on his face. There were all kinds of people walking alongside them, minding their own business. There were other kids too, either running around or carried by grownups as well.

Eren's eyes widened with joy as he twisted and turned to try to take in the scene in front of him.

"Keep still." Levi scolded him gently.

Eren was a docile kid. He immediately went limp and rested his chin on Levi's shoulder, but those jade green eyes kept wondering around. Up until now, he didn't know how to address the man carrying him. Most people called him "Corporal", which must be impressive, because even the meanest soldiers in the prison were afraid of him. Some people called him "Levi" too, like that overly excited woman this morning. But she didn't seem all that normal… Hesitating for a few minutes, Eren finally mustered up the courage to speak.

"C-Corporal…Levi," He stuttered, deciding to combine the names together, "Where…are we…?"

Levi looked at the muttering boy, "If you want to speak, speak up."

"Where are we going!" Eren brought himself upright and obliged in a loud voice.

"To shop."

"Shop for what!"

"…There's no need to shout everything." Levi was a little annoyed. He didn't know whether the kid was tractable or just stupid. Eren blushed and crawled back into his shell, clamping his mouth shut again.

Even though information about Eren turning into a titan is classified, the word had already spread along the civilians. Levi had purposely discarded his Survey Corps uniform to not draw attention to himself and the kid. This was also why a man with medium built and holding a child became the street thugs' target.

One of the crooks came from the front and pretended to knock onto Levi's shoulder on accident, reaching into Levi's pocket in the process. But Levi had seen through the entire operation before the thugs even reached him. It was inconvenient for him to move his upper body since he was holding Eren, and his left leg was also injured. But these people were amateurs and didn't stand a chance. His face vacant of expressions, Levi swiftly aimed for the ankle. Not knowing what hit him, the thief stumbled and fell to his knees, leaving his face in the perfect position to be collided into the sole of Levi's shoes. Screaming in pain as the thief felt his nose break, he kneeled to the floor.

The thug's accomplice witnessed the encounter and pulled out a dagger. Coming from behind, he thought the element of surprise would give him the upper hand. Eren gasped in fear as he looked over Levi's shoulder, but before he could warn Levi, Levi had turned around in mere milliseconds and brought his right knee into the attacker's stomach. He used so much force that the thief's mouth opened in extreme agony soundlessly before coughing out blood and falling to the ground as well.

"Are you trying to choke me, you little brat?" Upon hearing Levi's voice, Eren realized that he had been holding onto Levi's collar tightly in nervousness. He bashfully let go. To say the truth, he thought he was going to fall a couple of times, but Levi had held on to him steadily, not at all jeopardizing his safety.

One of the thugs lying on the floor shakily picked up the fallen dagger in contempt and tried to aim it into Levi's calf. Eren squeezed his eyes shut in terror and buried his face in Levi's chest, afraid to watch. Yet all Levi did was simply lift his leg a little higher than usual while turning his body slightly to the side, avoiding the hit directly. He didn't even look down as he kept on walking. The thief behind them gaped at Levi's back, flabbergasted.

That was scary…Eren thought to himself as he looked over at the two thugs still lying on the ground. What would Levi do to him if he misbehaved? Would he beat him up too? But Levi also amazed him. Would he grow up to be like that one day? If he did, he could properly protect Armin then. Eren sneaked another peek at the man whose breathing didn't even speed up during the attack and felt respect for him growing, budding, then blossoming like a flower.

…

…

…

Coming to a stop in front of the store, Eren finally realized what they were doing out. He stared at the various types of hand-made shoes in front of him and opened his mouth in awe.

"Pick whatever you want." Levi nudged Eren's back with his knee.

Eren was forced to take a step forward, but merely stared down at his bare feet instead of the shoes, looking very much like a lost puppy.

"What is it?" Levi could feel his patience running out, "You don't like it?"

"I want…the same…" Eren murmured in a tiny voice, his head hung so low that it was practically resting on his chest.

"Speak up."

"I want the same shoes as Corporal Levi!" Eren tightened his hands into small fists and shouted.

Levi surveyed the obstinate kid with cold eyes and said nothing.

Not getting a reply, Eren started to feel panic creeping up his heart. What was he doing? Was that too spoiled? Was Levi mad now? Would he get sent back to the prison because of this? Eren began to regret his stubborn outbreak. It was lucky enough that he could get shoes again, wasn't it? What was he thinking talking to Levi like that? He gulped and bit his lip, feeling involuntary tears welling up.

"Dress shoes are for grownups." Levi finally said in quiet voice. "You can get them when you're older. Now pick already."

He wasn't angry! Eren thought in pleasant surprise. But he also didn't need telling twice as he randomly chose a pair and put them on. He had almost forgotten how to walk in shoes and staggered about like a baby just learning how to walk. His face was wild with joy as he followed Levi outside, though he was a little disappointed that Levi didn't carry him again.

"Will you buy them for me when I grow up?" He asked innocently in sincere.

Levi paused before realizing he was still talking about the dress shoes. "…Sure." He replied absent-mindedly, brushing off the question. Those bright eyes instantaneously lit up with hope at his single word.

After purchasing a few more items of clothing for Eren, who only had the one tattered and dirty shirt, Levi finally started to make his way back. Eren was exhausted at this point and struggled to chase after the man in front of him. He raised his head to look at Levi, whose broad shoulders looked like they could carry the weight of the world. He was like the dazzling sunlight, the dancing flames, and the light at the end of a dark road that will never burn out.

Eren grabbed onto the man's pant leg and clenched the cloth tightly in his small hand. He wished that he would never have to let go.

…

…

…

The rain came out of nowhere. Levi loathed rain. Where there was rain, there was mud. And where there was mud, there was filth. He led Eren under a rooftop and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in displease.

He wished he had his vertical maneuvering gear with him. Given the distance, it would take him mere minutes to get back. But since the kid could barely keep up with him, it had taken them forever to get to where they were now. If they wasted any more time, they would be late for the experiments scheduled later today.

He was already breaking the rules by taking Eren outside. Initially, Eren was only allowed access in the basement, the kitchen, and the lab. Even Levi didn't know why he cared so much that the kid was always barefoot. The more time he spent with Eren, the more he realized how different the boy was.

There was something about him, but Levi couldn't quite put his finger on it. He glanced at Eren, who had kneeled down and was playing with a puddle of water with his hands, delight written conspicuously all over his face.

"Get up from there," Levi said sternly, "You're getting mud everywhere."

Eren jumped at his voice and hastily withdrew from the pile of dirty water, almost tripping over himself.

His fear annoyed Levi. It wasn't like he had done anything extreme to the kid. "Are you scared of me?" He asked darkly.

Eren gulped. He didn't know what to say. Was it a trick question? Did he do something wrong again? Was he going to be punished? After contemplating the outcomes, Eren decided it would be best to tell the truth. "…Yes?" He finally answered in a shaky voice.

Levi's eyes were like frost. He looked indifferent as always, but Eren could sense his response had infuriated him.

"I mean, no…" Eren quickly corrected, hoping this would make that stonily look go away.

It didn't. Levi still looked as lethal as he did before.

"I mean…" Eren tried again, "S-Sometimes you're scary, but sometimes…you're…nice."

Levi raised his eyebrows. That was a first. He didn't push it anymore: the kid obviously knew nothing about him. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Eren tightly, pulling the collar above his head. Dumfounded, Eren stood still as Levi mummified him.

"Keep your head under there." Levi ordered.

Eren looked at him in confusion and nodded slowly.

The next second, Levi had lifted him up and walked straight into the rain.

Icy drops of water splattered instantly onto the pair, but Eren didn't feel cold with the coat wrapped securely around him. He reached out an arm and positioned it over Levi, his palm coming into contact with the top of Levi's head.

"What are you doing?" Levi frowned.

"Covering the rain for you." Eren replied in naivety, his gleaming eyes locking onto Levi's.

Levi looked away and kept on staring straight ahead. Now he knew what was different about this kid. It was those emerald eyes that made him special. Those eyes had seen the callousness of the world and the ugliness of humanity, yet they remain hopeful and untainted.

They still shined like the stars, struggling to bright up the sky.

They seemed to penetrate him, deeply into his soul.

...

...

...


	4. Wrath

..

...

...

Eren swung his legs aimlessly, admiring his new shoes in approval. The days he spent in the Survey Corps were better than what he had expected. The experiments that he was so scared of weren't so bad, and Levi always managed to feed him well. The man wasn't so intimidating sometimes. He was even…somewhat attentive. But today, ever since Petra came in and gave the daily report, Levi's expressionless face turned grave with misery, his eyes so dark that it seemed like a whirlpool of pain was pulling him in. Petra was teary as soon as the first word escaped her mouth. She managed to choke through the rest of the report before breaking down. Yet all Levi did was to listen silently to the suppressed sobs.

Eren was alarmed. It was moments like this that reminded him how spine-chilling Levi could be. The more he got to know Levi, the more Eren didn't understand the reticent man. He didn't get it. Sometimes, Levi was like the tree that could block the torrential rain, but sometimes he was like the howling wind, threatening to destroy all surroundings. Just this morning, Levi was still taking care of him, but now his frown indicated he wanted to eradicate everything in sight.

He was always frowning too. How come he never smiled? Eren thought curiously. Was it because he wasn't happy? Or that he didn't know how?

"Um…Corporal…Levi?" Eren asked tentatively, trying very hard to not let his curiosity get the better of him but failing, "What does KIA mean…?"

Levi gazed up at the clueless boy sharply. He was deeply annoyed. Ever since Petra told him the names of the soldiers that were "killed in action", he had been in a bad mood. The kid's ignorance only made it worse.

"It means they're not here anymore." He replied.

Eren was oblivious to the edge in Levi's voice, "Where'd they go?"

"Somewhere else."

"Then…" Eren tilted his head thoughtfully, "Are they coming back?"

"Haven't you asked enough?" Levi snapped, his cold eyes slicing through Eren like a knife.

Eren trembled involuntarily and hugged himself around the middle. He didn't know what he had done to anger Levi, but he looked like he was ready to tear him into pieces. The fact that his face remained expressionless made him ever more terrifying than he already was. Eren gulped and cringed into the couch more. Maybe it was best that he didn't speak.

Feeling a little lost, Eren rubbed his hands together nervously. Today's experiment let him feeling a little shaky. It first started with the usual: testing his vision, hearing, taste buds, reflexes and so on. But when Hanji said it was time to take his blood, he had raced to hide himself behind Levi's legs and refused to come out.

Levi, however, ignored the hands clutching to his pants and calmly picked the boy up by his collar and threw him at Hanji, "Go cooperate."

The sudden yet precise movement almost made Eren fall flat on his face. Thank God Hanji had caught him in time. Before Eren had time to stand up though, a few scientists in white lab coats rushed over and held him down.

Levi surveyed the situation dispassionately and showed no intention of stopping the brutishness. The authority did not trust the Survey Corps. No surprises there. Even though Hanji, Erwin and himself had all signed the papers and have agreed to submit timely reports, the authority still dispatched "laboratory assistance". Or, in other words, "supervision". Hanji should have been the only experimenter; she was the only one who had conducted experiments on actual live titans. But all in all, there were six scientists here.

Levi had observed each one of them very carefully. Most of them didn't hold a threat. But two of them stood out to him. The freckle-faced scrawny teenager with bottle bottom thick glasses was called Roger Riles. He never interfered with the experiments, nor did he offer any kind of insight, but instead recorded everything going on in that little notepad of his. The burly, robust man with dark stubbles on his face was the one to watch out for. His name was Peter Montale, and his physique implied that he had probably been trained in combat. He always came up with crude suggestions, like seeing how many veils of blood they can take before Eren passed out. When Hanji negated the proposal, Levi could see Riles scribbling furiously behind her. No doubt this will be depicted as an act of rebellion in front of the authority.

Seeing the tears in those helpless eyes of the kid, Levi finally opened his mouth in forced consolation.

"It doesn't hurt."

Upon hearing those words, Eren sniffed and nodded his head bravely, boldly raising his arm…

But they took his blood three times in the end. Eren thought dispiritedly. He searched for the scar left by the needle in his arm, but couldn't find it somehow.

Also, Levi was a liar.

Eren pouted.

…It hurt. A lot.

…

…

…

Levi stood alone outside for ages, listening to the splattering rain. Memories of old times floated up and attempt to overcome him. Gunter Schultz and Oluo Bozado had both passed away in the recent mission. Not even their bodies made it back. He could almost hear the excruciating cries of their family members.

If he hadn't been hurt… If he could have fought their battles with them… Maybe they could have avoided this tragedy.

Petra stared at the man standing in the rain. His slightly hunched back screamed out loneliness. All she had managed to give him were the Wings of Freedom on their comrades' uniforms. The old scrap of cloth seemed to weigh more than the world. They carried on the resolve left by the dead. Levi's Squad was no more. Ever since Levi hurt himself saving her, the four of them had been on separate missions as backup. Eld had lost his left arm, and now Oluo and Gunther were gone as well. Only herself and Corporal Levi still stand to fight, struggling to entail the burning will of others. Petra hesitated for a long time before turning away and leaving Levi in peace.

The tightly clenched fists finally relaxed after what seemed like an eternity. He had accepted the bloody truth. Death will always be around him. And he had always been the sole witness; carrying on the baggage others have left behind. What will happen when it is finally his turn to go? Who will inherit the will of the departed?

Levi pushed open the door to his study, his unfeeling eyes skimming the room. Eren was on his tiptoes, reaching for the glass of water on his desk. Levi hurried to stop him before the boy fumbled over anything. Yet he was too late. Eren's hand carelessly knocked over a bottle of ink. The syrupy black content immediately splashed over all the paperwork and the shreds of fabric tattooed with the Wings of Freedom.

Before Eren could realize what he had done, he was brutally hauled up by a pair of calloused hands. His temple knocked into the corner of the desk so hard that the pain momentarily blinded him. He wasn't given time to recover though. The next second, he had been flung across the room so forcefully that he couldn't stop until his back collided violently with the leg of the couch. Dizziness shrouded him. It was too late for him to let the pain sink in; terror had already taken over. Eren struggled to sit up, all the while trembling in dread as he gaped at the man standing over him. There was death in those frigid grey eyes.

Levi raised his leg and stamped into the wall by Eren's ear, so precisely close to Eren that his brown hair was grinded under the man's shoes. Eren's eyes widened in fear, his body paralyzed with shudders. The man before him, he had carried him, fed him, and taken care of him, yet now he looked like he was itching to terminate him.

"For future references," Levi said in an alarmingly quiet voice. He grasped the front of Eren's shirt and lifted him up. Legs dangling helplessly, Eren yelped as he tried to pry open the death grip.

"… …Do not touch my things." As the last syllable left Levi's lips, he let go abruptly, letting Eren fall painfully onto the floor. The small boy crumbled at his feet and gasped in fresh air. But Levi did not stop to look at him. He left the room before the boy could start crying and slammed the door loudly behind him.

Eren stared at the door that seemed to stand as a barrier between their worlds. Belated tears rolled down his face. He sobbed and hugged himself, letting the bitterness freeze him up inch by inch.

…

…

…

Petra knocked for a long time but did not hear Levi say, "Come in". She pushed open the door cautiously, "Corporal Levi, Peter Montale and the others want an update on your report on…" The room was empty.

Confounded, Petra caught sight of the cowering boy in the corner, who had dust and dirt all over him. Her gaze travelled to the ink-stained desk and the destroyed Wings of Freedom, and she understood.

"Eren," Petra asked gently, "Did you do this?"

Eren paused at the sound of her voice and nodded his head in difficulty, afraid to look up.

"Was Corporal Levi mad?"

Eren's lower lip trembled. "He…hates me…" The pitched, childish voice was filled with dreariness.

"Nonsense." Petra bent down to pick up the child. The boy was lighter than she had anticipated, but still a little bit too much for her. She settled him on the couch. Even though Eren had only been here for a few days, she had grown quite fond of him. He was always so well behaved; answering all those annoying questions others threw at him and politely greeting everyone under Levi's commanding gaze. "Corporal Levi always shares his food with you, right?"

Eren forgot to cry for a second and looked up at Petra in confusion. It was true. He was never hungry again since he came here. His plate was always so full, and Levi only started to eat after he was finished. Was it because…Levi cared about him?

"See?" Petra smiled, "If he hated you, why would he save the good food for you?"

Back in the orphanage, every time that Mikasa managed to snatch a good piece of bread, she always kept it hidden until she could share it with him and Armin. Could it be that Levi was taking care of him in the same way? Eren felt completely baffled. He couldn't understand why the menacing, abusive man had suddenly become a kind, caring older brother in Petra's words.

"Eren, do you have really good friends?" Seeing that the boy didn't reply, Petra asked again.

Eren thought of Mikasa and Armin and nodded slowly.

"Then if one day, they went away, and they weren't going to come back, would you feel sad?" Remembering Gunther and Oluo, Petra strained to put on a brave face to soothe the still quivery child.

Eren nodded again.

"These – " Petra mentioned to the ruined Wings of Freedom on the desk, "Belonged to Corporal Levi's friends. They went to a different place, and this is all they left behind for Corporal. You know how much Corporal Levi likes to keep things clean. Now that you smudged them, it's only natural that he's angry, don't you think?"

Eren lowered his head shamefully, finally understanding what a mess he made of things. No wonder Levi was so mad… But that didn't stop him from feeling wronged. His whole body still ached from Levi's outburst.

"Don't cry…Boys should be brave!" Petra patiently wiped away the new tears rushing out of the boy's green eyes, "Everything will be okay tomorrow."

Eren winced at Petra's touch. He still wasn't used to any physical contact unless it was Levi or the mandatory experimental procedures.

Petra, however, didn't seem to mind. She comforted him a bit more and left.

…

…

...

Levi frowned as Montale and Riles walked closer to him in the narrow hallway. Yet Montale chose to overlook the murderous look on Levi's face and made a beeline for him.

"What? The lil' monster ain't with you?" Seeing that Levi didn't respond, Montale continued to provoke him, "I seem to remember reading in the guidelines that – what was it? – oh yeah, that only people with rank 'Captain' or higher can watch 'im. And I just happen to know that Hanji isn't at Headquarters righ' now. So that must mean…you're leaving 'im unattended, huh? Is this an open defiance of orders?"

Levi frowned again at the sour tobacco smell in Montale's breath. He hated everything that tainted anything. And the matter-of-fact tone Montale used in saying "lil' monster" also pissed him off.

Montale made an eye at Riles meaningfully, and Riles immediately started to write in his notebook, no doubt recording Levi's "negligence" in guardianship.

Levi remained aloof at the accusations. His pace did not falter as he knocked straight into the shoulder of the scribbling idiot with his own. Riles was pushed back into the wall by the force and gasped in pain as his notepad fell to the floor. Levi turned around and glanced at the pair, "You're brave," His voice was icy cold, "Aren't you?"

Both Montale and Riles gawked at him, not understanding his comment.

Levi's heel trudged into the notebook, crumbling the pages under his boot, "…Since you don't even seem to fear death." His eyes were scornful and contemptuous.

Even though Montale knew he had been granted the highest commanding right in Project Eren, he still gulped silently as the bone-piercing coldness in Levi's voice stiffened him. He grabbed Riles and hurried away from the formidable presence of the man.

Levi didn't bother to notice their scurrying footsteps. He knew he had been too hard on the kid. But it was good that he lost his temper. The kid had grown too attached to him; eating his food, drinking his water, and always staring at him with those hopeful green eyes. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He was just playing the role of a guardian, a watchman. And the boy was nothing more than a test subject. He was not a companion, nor is he a family member. Whether the boy lived or died was no concern of his.

The kid _should_ fear him.

After all, if he really went berserk and turned into a titan, he would die under Levi's unhesitating blade.

Levi returned to the study and looked around for the boy, but found the room empty. An ominous foreboding flowed into his mind. He hoped the kid wasn't stupid enough to run away. The headquarters was heavily guarded; the boy would never make it outside. And if other soldiers thought he was trying to escape, they would probably kill him without the slightest reluctance. Calculating every possible outcome, Levi's eyes swept over his desk distractedly.

A hint of surprise flashed upon those grey eyes.

The desk had been wiped. If it weren't for the poorly done job of doing so, he would have thought it was Petra. But the work was so hasty and sloppy that he knew it couldn't have been her. Even the Wings of Freedom had been scrubbed as clean as they possible can be after the ink fiasco. The wrinkles on them indicated that they had been washed many times.

So it was the kid.

Levi "tch"ed lightly, but the disdain did not quite reach his eyes.

He strode back to the basement and pushed open the door to the shadowy, forlorn room. Eren was already under the covers. The kid had even locked himself up properly before going to bed.

Levi's brow knitted together as he sat down at the edge of the bed. The stupid kid hadn't even taken off his shoes. He scowled as he took them off roughly, but not so rough as to wake the boy.

Eren's whole face had ink splatters on it, which made him look like a Dalmatian. Scoffing quietly, Levi unchained the boy and started to change the bandages on his wrists and ankles. Even though it had only been a few days, the wounds have almost completely healed. This was not good news in any way. It just meant that Eren had the titan's ability to heal. Levi's brows knitted tighter. He flipped Eren over to look at his forehead. There was only a bruise the size of his thumb on the kid's face from the earlier encounter, which did not make much sense.

Levi knew how powerful the hit was when the kid knocked his head on the corner of the desk. It should have been a much bigger bruise than this. Pulling up Eren's shirt, Levi stared at the boy's bony back. The contusion there was less than predicted as well. The kid really was healing at an alarmingly rapid pace.

Levi patiently applied ointment to the extant wounds before pulling the covers back up.

The boy was sound asleep, as if he was soaring in a boundless fantasy of dreams; as if he was being sucked into a never-ending solitude of nightmares.

…

…

…


	5. Entity

...  
...  
...  
Levi scanned the lab in great dislike; mildly surprised that they had the guts to bring this up.

"No." He rejected pointblank. His jawline tightened significantly, making his appearance even more hostile. Their audacity disgusted him. He stood up straighter and tried not to take notice of the small boy tugging on the edge of his jacket. There he poised; one man among all other scientists, all of them awaiting in fear of what he might do next.

Peter Montale's meaty lips twisted into a sick smile, "That ain't up to you, is it, Corporate?" He spat out the last word in contempt, "You don't have the right to reject any experiments going on 'round here."

Levi said nothing. He knew perfectly well what was "going on around here". They were taking advantage of the fact that Hanji was away on business. Without her here to object, the other scientists could do whatever they wanted with the boy. And today they wanted to cut off his finger – to see if it would regrow like a titan's would.

He knew Eren could recover from physical abrasions and injuries. But whether or not the boy could regenerate an entire body part was still a question mark. And he didn't plan to see the answer firsthand in this lab.

"Then stop me." Levi replied calmly, surveying the room in apathy. Turning on his heels, he headed for the door, leaving his back wide open. He took a few steps before realizing that the boy still stood frozen.

"Eren." He scolded gently, "We're leaving."

The small boy inhaled sharply and hurried to catch up with him, those green eyes spilling with gratitude, however shrouded they were before with fear.

As Levi suspected, none of the scientists tried to stop him. They all knew he was merely here as a courtesy to the authority, and none dared to cross him. He grabbed the boy's wrist and took longer strides towards the hallway. He didn't want him to be in the laboratory one second longer than he had to. But it won't be long before Montale reported him; sooner or later the boy would have to face his fate.

Levi sighed lightly. It would seem that he had no other choice but to accept another tedious mission Erwin had assigned him just a few days ago. He understood the position Erwin was coming from: as long as Levi was injured, he was free to act as an on-call agent to clean up and make nice.

This infuriated him.

Levi subconsciously gripped Eren's wrist a bit harder. The nerves the authority had to ask him to oversee the training back at the military academy and propagate the Survey Corps. True, graduates that chose the Survey Corps have decreased over the years, but he had no interest in advertising to potential trainees.

He was a soldier. He had always been, a soldier. Making him babysit one brat was one thing, asking him to babysit a whole bunch was another matter altogether.

Eren let out a strangled cry, finally leading Levi's attention back to himself. Realizing the force he had applied on the boy, Levi quickly let go. He watched as Eren massaged his tiny wrist carefully. Ever since the "incident", the boy had been scared to death of him. All previous work Levi had done on him was moot – he had crawled back into his protective shell. Eren did not speak unless Levi forced him to. Nor did he show any inclination of carrying a conversation. He was jittery and jumpy at everything Levi did, and trembled at every physical contact.

Levi didn't blame him. He knew he had been too hard on the kid. But it was to teach him a lesson. Plus, he had been too soft with the boy previously. He reminded himself that the kid was nothing more than a lab rat.

"Levi. I was just looking for you."

Levi raised his eyes lazily, "…Erwin."

Erwin Smith smiled tightly. His eyes travelled to Eren and scrutinized his pale face. Eren gulped and tried to inconspicuously move sideways until he could hide behind Levi. He almost reached out a hand to tug on the man's jacket again before remembering what happened a few days ago between them. Giving an involuntary shudder, Eren hurriedly withdrew his hand.

Erwin witnessed the entire situation but made no comment. Instead, he turned his attention to Levi, "Have you made a decision? The new squad of trainees should be arriving any day."

Sighing yet again, Levi slowly un-crossed his arms, "I'm taking the kid with me."

"Perfect. That saves me the trouble of finding another guardian."

Levi raised his eyebrows, "I thought you would disagree. The rules state that he's not allowed off the premises."

Erwin smiled again, "Yet you have already taken him outside on his second day here, have you not?"

"So you knew."

Eren's eyes darted back and forth between the two men. He knew they were talking about him. The taller man – Erwin – had a certain aura of command around him. It seemed like Levi answered to him. Eren's eyes traced back to Levi. Was Levi in trouble for bringing him outside? He knew Levi only did so to buy essentials for him.

Eren gulped again, inhaled deeply and squeezed his eyes shut for courage, "P-Please, it was me who w-wanted to go outside!" He said loudly, unable to avoid the stammers, "I-I made Corporal Levi take me!"

Both men stared down at the abrupt outbreak from the boy. Erwin looked somewhat shocked, while Levi's face remained unchanged.

"…I doubt you can make Levi do anything." Erwin replied cordially.

A faint blush crept upon Eren's cheeks. The boy was lost for words.

"However," Erwin directed his words back to Levi, "I don't see the harm in it. As long as he is under your care, Levi, you can take him wherever."

"…"

"Although…" Erwin continued, "Eren's identity is still classified. While you're there, introduce him as your son. Under no circumstances should his true identify be revealed."

Levi's face twitched horribly at those words. He only hoped to bring the kid along so Eren could escape the lab for a few weeks. He had absolutely no intention in becoming his…parent.

"Or your nephew." Erwin added thoughtfully as he saw the look on Levi's face.

"…Understood."

"We don't have the resources to arrange a carriage. You'll have to make do on a horse and hope that you don't run into any titans on the way." Said Erwin, "Can you still manage your gear while handling the kid and those injuries?"

Levi's face hardened, "You underestimate me, Erwin."

Erwin gave a low chuckle, "Then it's settled. I guess I'll see you in two weeks, Eren." He bent down to tussle the boy's soft brown hair before straightening up again. "And Levi… Thanks for putting up with all of this."

"Glad you've noticed." Levi replied coldly before turning away. "Eren."

Eren looked thunderstruck at the sound of his name. Picking up his pace, he ran after the man, afraid of being left behind.

Erwin watched as the small boy strove to catch up with the man in front of him. The two silhouettes collided together thereon, forming a dark shadow against the dim light on the torches around. He watched them for a while before turning to leave, a slight smile on the corner of his mouth. Neither the man nor the boy knew it yet, but an in frangible bond was slowly arising between.

Eren panted as he rushed to shorten the distance between them. The man had always been a few steps in front of him; barely close enough to perceive. His tiny fists clenched together and his hair flew out behind him, the ferocious actions the man had conducted laid momentarily forgotten. As he ran, his eyes locked onto the square of the man's back, making it the sole presence.

He saw a brief light at the end of the tunnel where the man stood, and he endeavored all his energy to chase after it: an imagined savior; a hallucinated dream.

…

…

…


	6. Stars

The phosphorescence dazzled Eren. Levi had discarded his usual suit and wore his Survey Corps uniform instead. The green cape flew out behind him; the corners of the fabric soared in the light breeze of spring wind, tickling Eren's cheek.

Eren had seen these capes before. The orphanage laid within Wall Maria, and when it fell, civilians were forced to relocate closer to Wall Rose. Not everyone could secure a spot within the second outermost wall though. For orphans like himself who were practically nobody, staying close to Wall Rose while praying for the titans not to discover them was the optimum outcome. From time to time, the soldiers from the Survey Corps would scout this area. Twice, they saved the orphanage from ultimate destruction. Every time one of them passed, Eren would always squeeze his face against the windows to peer at them; completely in awe of their strength and bravery.

During his time in the Survey Corps, Eren had also seen others wear the same cape. Yet none could compare to the man in front of him. The forest colored cloak was spotless, just like everything else Levi owned, but somehow Eren could almost see the blood and tears stained upon. It was no longer a simple piece of cloth, but a memento of the suffering humanity had endured; a remainder for the struggle of freedom.

Subconsciously, Eren reached out his hand to touch the fabric. Before he could, Levi had turned around to face him.

"…Did you hear what I just said, Eren?"

Eren was immediately jolted back to reality. Paling at once, he looked anywhere but those sharp grey eyes, "U-Um, I…" His words got caught in his throat. The potential violence Levi carried terrified him to the bone. Why didn't he pay attention? Was the man going to strike him again?

Levi sighed. "We're travelling within Wall Rose. I have the duty to oversee the training of recruits. There will be no experiments for the next two weeks." He repeated as patiently as he could.

"Okay." Eren squeaked in a tiny voice. No one had bothered to explain anything to him before, and he wondered why the man did. But no experiments! That meant no more taking his blood; and no more of that awful herbal medicine they forced upon him. Granted, it was only for two weeks, but Eren still brightened considerably.

Levi looked down at the boy. His joy was written all over his young face, however hard he was trying to conceal it. He was undeniably transparent; a complete opposition to what Levi was accustomed to. Levi knelt down to straighten the boy's unevenly rolled up sleeves. The kid's sloppiness irritated him greatly.

However, his bluntness startled Eren. He heard the boy inhale sharply at his touch.

Annoyed at the reaction, Levi's hand came down upon Eren's bony shoulder; a little too hard because the boy jumped in alarm.

"You don't have to be scared."

Eren gulped, "…O-Okay."

Levi searched those wide green eyes, now reflected with pecks of gold from the dusky sky. "…Do you hate me?" He asked quietly.

Shocked at the question, Eren shook his head rigorously, "No! Petra told me…why Corporal Levi was mad, a-and…and…" His voice traced off.

Levi's hand left the boy's shoulder and rested lightly on his head instead. "Good." He replied calmly, "But call me Levi. From now on, you're acting as my nephew."

Eren squeezed one eye shut as Levi's calloused fingers pressed onto his hair, "Why?"

"You'd rather introduce yourself as the kid who could turn into a titan?"

"No." The boy muttered.

"Then do as you're told." Levi stood up and abruptly picked up the boy to casually toss him onto the back of the horse. Eren let out a yelp of surprise as he landed stomach first on the handsome chestnut animal. Before he could desperately grasp onto something to hold, Levi had already swung his leg across and stabled the boy. Grabbing onto the reins with one hand, Levi stationed Eren into a sitting position in front of him with the other hand protectively around the boy's middle.

As they galloped towards the blazing sunset, Eren sensed the same comforting feeling he had from the first time he met Levi. Somehow, he knew he was safe. The flames from the falling sun licked his face while the brisk air ruffled his hair, and a boyish grin played upon his lips. He couldn't explain it, but he could almost touch it with the edge of his fingertips – the taste of freedom.

…

…

…

When night fell and darkness prevailed, Eren began to shiver uncontrollably. He felt dumb for not bringing more clothes with him. When Levi had told him to pack, he brought along a bunch of things that now seem unnecessary – the candy Petra gave him; bandages for his wrists and ankles in case he had to be chained; and the washed up pattern of the wings of freedom that he had blotched by mistake. Even though Levi had explicitly told Eren not to touch his things, he still secretly pocketed it for the man. It was obviously important to Levi, but he had forgotten to bring it with him.

It's okay though, Eren had thought, I can remember for him.

Levi felt the small boy tremor against him and noticed that his lips had turned blue.

"Are you cold?"

Eren recoiled at his words, "N-No." He didn't want to cause more trouble than he already did for Levi.

Levi raised his eyebrows coldly at the stubborn kid. Who did he think he was fooling? He could clearly hear the sound of the boy's teeth chattering.

Swiftly, he took off his cape and wrapped it around Eren, clipping it securely in the front.

The sudden warmth surprised Eren. When he realized that it was the very cape he had only dared to watch placed upon him, his heart almost exploded with bliss and wonder. He was wearing the same cape that the Survey Corps soldiers wore! No, he was wearing the same cape that Corporal Levi wore!

Trying very hard not to appear too exhilarated, Eren turned to look at the man behind him, "But…what about you? Aren't you cold…?"

"Just worry about yourself." Levi replied simply.

Eren bowed his head and clasped the cloak tighter around him, feeling tears of gratitude forming in his eyes. No one had cared about him like this in a very long time. "Th-Thank you." He whispered, his words instantaneously getting blown away by the wind.

Levi heard him, and his unsparing eyes softened a little as they rested on the back of the boy's head. They rode in silence for while until he brought them close to the river. The night had stretched on; and they would have to make camp here.

As Levi passed Eren his dinner, Eren couldn't help but marvel at the man's previous agility. It had taken him mere seconds to capture the fish in the creeks. Eren knew what the equipment he carried around was for; but he never knew how much more the man was capable of doing with it. The grapple hook were fired meticulously in the direction of water disturbance, and pierced directly into the body of the fish. The second hook had been aimed immediately after the first, catching another prey. Levi had then taken out his blade to scrape along the surface of a rock. His speed had been so accelerated that sparks flew out to light the nearby grass and sticks; a fire had therefore been made. Levi had simply sat down next to it and waited somewhat impatiently for the fish to cook. The entire duration of action had taken less than a minute.

Eren stared at his cooked fish in absolute astonishment. Levi never ceased to amaze him; and he wondered how much more Levi was skilled at. He bit down hungrily and sneaked a glance at the man sitting across from the fire.

"Cor – Levi," He corrected himself mid-sentence, "How long does it take to get to Wall Rose…?"

Levi looked at him languidly, "Tired of travelling already?"

"N-No!" Eren shook his head quickly, "I…I like it…a lot. Being here with… I mean… I wish I could stay here."

"… …"

Levi could only imagine how much the little brat's been through if he thought travelling on the road with no decent food or clothing was a pleasure. "Finish up. It's not safe to keep the fire; it might draw attention to us."

Eren urgently began to swallow down the remaining food as rapidly as he could manage. His bulging cheeks made him appear even more adorable. Levi took no notice, however. He was busy inspecting their surroundings for the best possible place to sleep. They were still outside the walls, and if they weren't careful, they'd become titan food.

Finally, he settled on a thick branch high up a leafy tree. The leaves would provide a camouflage; and the height was approximately enough to escape most of the titan's reach. Grabbing the boy by his collar and swinging him over his shoulder, Levi aimed at the bark and reeled himself towards the branch. Eren squealed out and clutched tightly to the back of Levi's coat.

"Let go." Levi frowned. When those tiny hands released his shirt, he set the boy down against the rough tree trunk and tied him to the branch loosely with the pre-prepared ropes he brought.

Eren's small mouth turned downwards.

"Don't pout," Levi ordered, "This is to keep you from falling."

"Oh." The sulking stopped immediately.

Levi leaned back next to the boy and closed his eyes, "When we get there tomorrow, make sure you don't expose your identity. If anyone asks, you're living with me because your parents died in the war."

"My parents did die in the war." Eren replied in a quiet murmur.

Levi opened his eyes again. This was the first time the boy had ever shared anything from his past.

"But they're still here." Eren added brightly. He raised his head to look at the starry sky, "That one's my mom." He said, pointing to the heavens.

"… …"

"She said she'd become the brightest star and watch over me." Eren continued. "I bet that one's her."

Levi reached out and grabbed the boy's arm, tucking it back under the green cape, "…Go to sleep, Eren."

But as the boy drifted off, sleep eluded Levi. He found himself staring at the very same star Eren was pointing at earlier for no particular reason at all. It seemed to stare back at him, scrutinizing his core. Slowly, he looked from the sky to the sleeping kid now leaning against his arm with his mouth half open.

Levi pulled the cloak tighter around the boy, shuffling him around a little. Something fell out from the pocket of the Eren's pants. Lifting the cape, Levi saw what had fallen onto the branch – it was the wings of freedom scrap of cloth the kid had dirtied and cleaned. An incredulous feeling crept upon him as the man gazed at it for a long while. Finally, he picked it up and put it back into Eren's pocket.

Foolish kid… Levi thought, the smallest of smiles upon his usual emotionless face. But he wasn't so bad…

…

…

…


	7. His

"Eren," Levi nudged the boy sleeping soundly across his lap, "Eren, wake up."

Eren's brows furrowed together briefly before relaxing again, still lost in his own dreams.

Levi's patience was wearing thin. This intimacy with the boy agitated him deeply. He wasn't someone to depend on. On contrary, he was the boy's executioner; the living semblance of death. He had tried to be brutal with him, and it had worked – for a while. Yet now the dumb kid seemed to have forgotten just how appalling he was. He nudged the boy harder, "Eren."

"Huh…?" The boy mumbled inarticulately as he rubbed his eyes. At first, all he saw was the clear blue sky mingled with the smell of spring air and fresh grass. Lying in the warmth of the man's embrace, Eren looked at it in wonder, trying to remember the last time he woke up to this. For a split second, he forgot who he was and why he was so miserable. But before he could savor the moment, the man's aloof complexion came into view, his grey eyes frigid and cynical.

Eren quickly sat up. He didn't want to admit it, but he was still awfully scared of Levi. The world came rushing back to him, showering him with reality.

Levi gave him a small piece of bread, "Here. That's all you'll have before we get to Wall Rose, so don't eat it all – "

Eren had already stuffed the entire chunk in his small mouth.

" … at once."

Trying to gulp down the food in difficulty, Eren's green eyes widened innocently at the man's words, "S-Shorry." He said with his mouth full.

Levi sighed. He was getting a headache.

Eren raised his eyes and secretively squinted at the man, wondering if he was angry with him.

Before he knew it, Levi's firm and sturdy hand came down on Eren's head roughly, making the boy gasp in alarm. The thin yet stout fingers brushed through the boy's soft brown hair almost gently, pushing it out of his eyes to reveal his forehead. Eren looked up at Levi with his mouth slightly open, utterly confused.

"Your hair is getting too long." Levi said quietly.

It bothered him because it barricaded those glistening eyes. He had seen the blazing sunlight in them; and he had seen the undying faith. It was something truly pure; something completely uncontaminated by darkness; something that could conquer even the gloomiest wallows.

Levi's fingers tightened, and Eren was forced to tilt his head up in pain. A small moan of discomfort erupted from the boy's parted lips as tears welled up. Panic overcame Eren. He couldn't breathe. He didn't know what the man was going to do to him. Just thinking about how effortlessly Levi could fling him from the tree and let him fall to an ugly death paralyzed him. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the worst, his entire body trembling in fright.

Yet Levi merely released him.

Eren blinked as he felt his hair being brushed away from his forehead lightly. The man was gently parting it in the middle so the tips of his hair would not block his view. The world suddenly became clearer as he saw up close the man's handsome features.

"Keep it like this." He commanded.

The boy nodded obediently, something pouring out from the bottom of his eyes in streams. The tips of Levi's fingers hesitated by the small boy's slightly flushed cheeks as he immersed himself in the childish gaze.

He liked seeing it.

The pristine innocence within those green eyes.

…

…

…

Eren gulped as the smell of food reached his nostrils. They had been travelling for hours without any sign of stopping. He was starving, but he was afraid to say so. As they walked upon the street market, the various food stands made his mouth water. As indistinctively as possible, Eren turned his head towards the bread stand. He had to force himself not to drool at the smell of hot butter.

"You're hungry, aren't you?"

Eren quickly whirled his head back at the sound of Levi's cold voice. "…No." He lied in a small voice.

Levi stared at the bread stand and then the stubborn boy.

"Which one?" He asked, jerking his chin towards the basket of freshly baked bread.

Eren looked up in astonishment, "I…I'm not hungry." He repeated guiltily, his cheeks burning maroon.

"Which one do you want? I'm not going to ask again."

Eren sneaked a glance at the man towering over him – he looked as deathly as ever. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something different about Levi somehow. He seemed…nicer. Eren wondered whether it was because it was his job to care. Swallowing down a mouthful of saliva, he walked up to the booth.

The boy was too short to see anything. Levi watched as Eren tiptoed in order to attempt to peer over the edge. Sighing, he put both hands under the boy's armpits and picked him up. Eren blinked as he watched his feet leave the ground. He waited a few seconds to make sure Levi wasn't putting him down before wiggling around to face the bread stand. Those tiny fingers automatically wrapped around the fabric of Levi's collar.

Eren bit his lower lip thoughtfully as he surveyed each piece of bread in extreme carefulness, taking quite a while.

"Hurry it up." Levi scowled. It was already surpassingly extravagant to purchase food outside the distributed amount that he was given by the authority. Starvation was the causation for most deaths, with titan attacks being a close second. The fact that the boy didn't know how much this was going to cost both literally and figuratively annoyed him.

Eren blushed again and hurriedly pointed to the bear shaped bread, "Can I have…that one?"

The old lady behind the booth smiled at Eren genially as she handed it over.

Eren's eyes lit up. His tiny pink tongue ran over his dry lips before he opened his mouth to take a huge bite of –

"Manners, Eren."

The boy almost choked. Lowering the bread bashfully, he looked to the old lady, "Th-Thank you."

"You're very welcome, dear." She chuckled, "Your brother is adorable." She added to Levi.

Levi's entire face darkened. He had a sudden urge to slash something and had to constrain himself not to strangle the boy in his arms. Finally, he turned around and walked on, deciding to disregard the comment.

Eren's only focus was on his food. One bite into the warm surface of the dough filled him with happiness. In his entire life, he had never tasted anything so delicious.

"It's so good!" He gushed to Levi excitedly, spraying him with breadcrumbs.

Levi frowned.

Eren shoved the bitten bread in Levi's stony face, "Try it!"

"… …" Levi turned away from the half-eaten food, "Take that away from me."

The boy wasn't about to give up so easily. He didn't know where he got the bravery to practically jab it in the direction of Levi's mouth. His childish face scrunched up in determination as he tried to pry open the man's thin lips.

Levi opened his mouth to scold the kid, only to have bread shoved in instead. Anger rose up within him. He snapped his neck around to glare at Eren, yet all he saw was the eagerness shining brightly in the boy's eyes.

He suddenly felt like the balloon full of anger had just been pricked, and the antipathy bottled up was starting to seep through the cracks the boy made on the indestructible wall he had built around himself. He couldn't remember why he was so mad in the first place.

"Isn't it good?" Eren asked enthusiastically, a half-smile lingering on his food-stained lips.

"…It's not bad."

…

…

…

A blur of red among the shabby clothes of the peasants in the street market. A girl resting her head on a man's shoulder, her arm limply by her side. Her dark hair fell over her face, the perfect camouflage. From afar, it simply seemed like a father carrying his sleeping daughter. Yet if you looked closely, you would see the peculiarity: She was too still. There were marks of struggles on the back of her hand, and a light bruise by the corner of her lip. Something that looked extremely like a bloodstain was disguised by the dark red color of her scarf.

Eren stared at the girl. There was something tremendously familiar about her. Levi had put him down, and he was too short and too far away to see clearly, but he had a gut feeling that she was who he thought she was. But then…what was she doing here? Why would she be here at all?

Grabbing onto Levi's finger, Eren broke into a jog to urge them forward, hoping to catch a glimpse of the girl's face. He had to know if it was her and if she was in trouble.

They advanced for a few seconds before the boy was pulled into a harsh halt by the powerful hand now around his wrist.

Levi jerked him around crudely, "This way."

"But I – " Eren looked up and was met by a cold look from the man. He quickly swallowed back the rest of his sentence. As he felt himself be steered around in another direction, he gave one last look at the girl. The wind picked up at the precise second and momentarily blew her hair away from her face.

It was her!

Eren's eyes widened in fear. He took advantage of Levi's distraction on the horse and swiftly slipped his arm through the ironclad grasp of the man. His small and thin figure acted as his weapon of agility as he dived into the mass of people between him and the girl.

"Eren!" Levi snapped, but the boy had already disappeared among the crowd. "Out of the way." He snarled to the pedestrians as he pushed through them. Yet it was no use. Hundreds and hundreds of people crowded the street market at this busiest hour, and looking for one boy among them was like needle in a haystack. The boy was already nowhere to be found.

Levi swore under his breath. Had he been fooled? Was the kid acting dumb and ductile only to knock down his vigilance in order to plan an escape? Had he been played by a 5-year-old?

Cursing, he loaded his 3D Maneuver Gear and fired to the rooftops of a few nearby houses, not caring whether his status was exposed or not. Under the astounded gapes from the bystanders, he reeled towards the sky in amazing speed and landed for a mere millisecond on the roof before running in the general direction the boy had gone.

Those grey eyes squinted in concentration as he searched the crowd below him. His dexterity did not slacken; hooks took aims one after one, and he raced across the rooftops in a dark streak.

Finally, he located the boy. Levi came to an immediate stop so abruptly that the heel of his shoes scraped down a few tiles on the roof. He focused on the boy struggling with two men, one of whom carrying another kid on his shoulder. The taller one punched Eren across the face to pry those small hands off his pant leg, but Eren got back up shakily and grabbed on again, pointing to the unconscious girl and yelling something.

The same man hit him again, this time knocking out the boy completely. He picked Eren up carelessly and quickly made for the woods with his partner, away from the attention of the passersbys.

Levi's eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched them retreat from the curious and alerted looks of the observers.

They better have a death wish prepared if they were willing to mess with _his_ kid.

…

…

…


	8. Savior

...  
...  
...

Wyatt Parker took a long drag from his cigarette in deep satisfaction, chortling to himself. He wondered just how rich he would get for selling the oriental kid. She was rumored to be the last one on earth. He couldn't believe his luck that he actually managed to snatch her. Fortunate for him, there was a titan attack on the orphanage the kid was in, and almost everyone was running around wildly for their lives. He and his partner Mason had found the girl close to the edge of the woods. It had been too easy to just knock her out and take her from the premises.

Spitting on the floor, Parker gave a small shudder as he thought of the titans. Thank God the kid had not been within the attack radius. If she had been too close to those godforsaken monsters, he wouldn't have taken one step towards the orphanage, no matter how much she was worth. Those titans scared the crap out of him.

Parker leered at the tied-up kids huddled in the corner of the room. The girl looked somewhat calm, but the boy that had confronted them earlier was trembling next to her, his green eyes round with fear.

Sniggering, Parker advanced on them. He knelt down in front of the boy and grabbed his chin. The boy was forced to tilt up his head. Parker looked at him closely, trying to determine his heritage. His face was almost unrecognizable from the previous beating he took. One side of his cheek swelled up to be twice its size, leaving behind a large purple bruise. A shame that he wouldn't be at his best in front of the bidders; he had been an alright-looking kid before. Cute, even.

Parker pulled the boy closer. His soft chestnut hair was parted in the middle, revealing bright green eyes.

Those eyes could be worth quite a bit.

Parker knew there were snotty buyers within Wall Sina who collected green-eyed slaves. A sick smirk appeared on his face as a perverted thought entered his mind: A slave should have a mark. He took the cigarette from his lips and put it out on the boy's thin forearm, twisting it so it'd go deeper into his skin.

Eren cried out in pain, but the rag over his mouth muffled his voice. Parker's distorted smile stretched wider and wider. The revolting smell of burnt flesh mixed with the subdued shriek of agony turned him on.

"You shouldn't have done that." Said an icy voice.

Parker twisted around. There was a dark shadow by the doorway. Although the intruder's face was hidden, his mere presence announced such abysmal menace that the hairs on the back of Parker's neck stood up.

"Mason!" Parker yelled as he took out his knife, releasing the boy to sob uncontrollably at his feet.

Mason had stood up as well and pointed a shaky hand at the shadow, "Don't come any closer, I'm warning you! We're armed!"

Levi ignored him completely. "You have three seconds to step away from the kid." He drew his blade. "One,"

"S-Stay back!" Mason cried, swinging his dagger wildly.

"Two,"

"I said stay back!"

"Three." Levi finished softly as he stepped into the light. Both Parker and Mason shivered involuntarily as they saw the man's furiously livid face.

Parker didn't even have the time to react. Before his very own eyes, a huge bloody "X" appeared on Mason's chest. The slash that caused the injury had been almost too quick for the human eye to perceive. The sickening sound of blood dripping down filled the otherwise silent room. Mason gaped at the cuts on his own body as he fell face first onto the stone floor.

He moved no more.

Parker's mouth went dry. The invader had advanced in seconds and was now within inches, casting a shadow of omen upon him.

"L-Look, man," Parker proposed quickly, "I'll split the cash with you. Fifty-fifty, eh? I'll even throw in the boy for free!"

The tip of Levi's blade tipped up Parker's chin, forcing him to raise both hands in submission.

"S-Seventy-thirty, then!"

The sharp blade gleamed under the dim light. Levi's expression was inscrutable. Haltingly, his ran the edge down Parker's neck, over his chest, and then down his belt-loop. Finally, the blade cut across the fabric of Parker's pocket to reveal a shabby pack of cigarettes.

"Light it." Levi ordered.

Parker quickly handed over the cigarette with both hands and fumbled with the matches as the man withdrew those death blades. He knew money would solve everything. And he wouldn't even lose much profit now that Mason is out of the picture.

"Here you go, mate." Parker said sycophantically, forcing out nervous laughter.

Levi took the cigarette between two lean fingers but made no intention to take a drag. With one swift motion, he aimed it for Parker's forehead and stubbed the lighted smoke on his skin, wiping off the toady fawn on his face completely.

Parker roared in pain but was unable to shake off the cigarette no matter how hard he tried. The man's grasp on it was like glue, forcing it to sizzle on his face. Tears of humiliation welled up, and he finally knelt down to the floor in front of the man, his body trembling in fear and angst.

"You should consider quitting." Levi crumpled up the box of cigarettes and threw it in his face.

Parker gritted his teeth. The disgraced predicament that the man had put him in made his blood boil. He wasn't about to let this…this dwarf walk all over him. Overlooking the residual pain on his face, his right hand found the knife and made a wild attempt at the man's neck.

In the mere second preceding the attack, Levi had already analyzed the situation. It would have been more than easy to dodge it, but Eren was right behind him, and if the knife didn't hit its mark, it would plunge into the boy. He didn't have time to draw his blade again. And the attacker was too close – if he grabbed the attacker's arm or wrist to stop the motion, the knife would still graze Eren.

Parker's eyes widened.

Warm blood trickled down the knife and reached his knuckles. But it wasn't his blood. His mouth dropped open at the scene in front of him. He couldn't believe it – the man had grabbed the knife with his bare hand, terminating the assault.

Parker knew how hard he had thrust the knife; with that much force, it must have cut down to the bone. Yet the man still remained completely expressionless. Only the iciness at the bottom of his unfathomable eyes intensified. Coldness slowly spread over Parker's body, and he shuddered under the man's death stare. Could he not feel pain? The fact that he was utterly unreadable terrified Parker. This man, he was no ordinary crook. He was a sociopath. Or worse.

Levi's other hand came up and wrapped around Parker's wrist. Parker screamed out as he felt his wrist break. He fell to the floor again, clutching his hand pathetically.

The knife fell with a clatter to the ground, stained with Levi's blood.

Turning around, Levi reached both arms around the shivering boy to untie his hands behind his back, ignoring the bloody gash on his own. "You alright?"

Eren stared at him in disbelief, "I…" That knife had come so close to him that the tip of it had skimmed his hair. Yet Levi had stopped it.

"Let me see." Levi said quietly. It wasn't until Levi rolled up his sleeve did Eren realized the man wanted to see how badly he was burnt by the cigarette. Those unfeeling eyes found the fresh scar on the boy's disfigured skin and narrowed at its ugliness. He helped the boy to his feet and untied the girl next to him, wondering who she was to him to be worth chasing after.

When he turned back to scold him for running away, he was abruptly interrupted as the boy threw both arms around his neck, almost knocking him off his feet in surprise.

"I'm s-sorry!" Eren hiccupped, burying his face in the man's neck.

Levi knelt there, frozen in spot as a small tinge of shock flickered upon his face. As composed as Levi was, he wasn't sure what to do in this situation. He only came after the boy because it'd be catastrophic to lose him. He never meant for this to turn into a rescue mission. For the longest time, his arms remained stiffened in midair as the tearful child sobbed into his jacket. Finally, he used his uninjured hand to pat the boy's head awkwardly.

Eren sniffed and raised his head to look at him in admiration. Tears of emerald crystal flooded those angelic eyes, submerging Levi in another world much unlike his own.

Almost braggingly, Eren shot the girl behind them a watery smile, "What'd I say? I told you he was a hero."

That hit Levi like a blow to the softest spot he didn't even know he had in his heart. Suddenly he was drowning in sheer words of naivety, and never had he found it so hard to catch a breath.

He had been called many names, yet he was far too gruesome to even graze the edge of heroism. His job was to keep the kid alive until he had served his purpose in aiding humanity. To the boy, however, he had risen above to the portrayal of gallantry. But he was a warrior; and that was the only title he ever wore. He did not know how to be anything other than that.

"…I am not a hero."

The small boy turned back to him and gazed up with glassy eyes, melting away the ice and snow the man had tried so arduously to put up. Oblivious to the eventual slaughter that awaited him, Eren forced a childish smile over his bruises, "You are mine."

… …

… …

… …

And it was as if the desolate room so barren of warmth had faded away, and they were simply kneeling in a vast field of purest white.

...

...

...


	9. Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Character death

...

...

...

Levi's cold eyes swiped by the new wound on Eren's arm. The cigarette burn seemed to have faded slightly. The bruises on the boy's face have lessened considerably as well. His injuries looked a lot better than the girl's, even though the pair had suffered similar beatings.

"And then a left here…I think." Mikasa mumbled timidly in his ear. They were traveling in striking speed towards the orphanage that was still under attack. Levi aimed the hooks to the left and launched them on curtly. He didn't know whether he'd be in time to save anyone at this point. The bloody gouge on his hand had proven to be deeper than he had anticipated. This would reduce the strength he put on each slash. Not a good sign.

Eren's small fingers clung to the straps on Levi's thigh. He was terrified of falling. Levi was carrying Mikasa upright so she could give directions, while he was downgraded to being clamped by his side under his arm, arms and legs dangling in midair. The tiniest dash of jealousy was within the boy. He liked it more when he had Levi all to himself. Stunned by his own selfishness, Eren shook his head violently. How could he be thinking about hogging Levi when the entire orphanage was in danger?

"Eren." Levi admonished, "Stop moving around."

The boy kept still meekly, not wanting to cause more trouble for the man.

"Um…and a right…?" Mikasa said unsurely.

They travelled in the air for another few minutes before a half-destructed building came into view.

"There!" Mikasa cried, pointing to the wreckage.

Levi's thin lips pursed together as he evaluated the situation. Four titans altogether. All looked no more than 10 meters tall. Coming to a stop on a tree branch, he put both kids down.

"Stay here. Stay hidden. Got it?"

Both of them nodded, their young faces white with fear.

"He has blonde hair and blue eyes!" Eren called after him, "Please! You have to save him!"

"… …" Levi did not look back. He wasn't about to make any promises he couldn't keep. All the way here, Eren had worried about his other friend. Arnold or Arthur, or whatever he was called. Apparently the three of them was like a trio – until Eren had been locked away and Mikasa captured. It was obvious Eren had cared a great deal about his little friends.

Levi extracted his blades in mid-swing and aimed at the titan closest to him. His slashed with such force that the monster went down momentarily, falling with a thud that made the Earth tremble.

The second one turned around to look at him, something dangling from her mouth. Levi clenched his teeth together and shot his hooks onto her shoulder so he could pull himself closer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the remaining upper torso of a small girl between those filthy, yellow teeth, her eyes empty and unseeing. He whirled towards the back of the vulgar creature's neck and, gripping both blades in parallel, slit across the thick skin.

The pain from his hand screamed at him to stop, yet he ignored it altogether and raced to the third titan who was kneeling in front of a pile of bodies and munching voraciously. This position gave Levi great advantage. It took him a mere second to bring down the heinous beast. As it fell sideways, Levi saw what he had been chewing on.

Under those severed arms and legs, laid a young boy limply.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes.

Levi walked closer and looked down on the remaining parts of the boy. He was still alive, but barely. Each ragged breath he inhaled took forever to reach his torn chest. He was missing a leg, and a huge part of his stomach. Blood gurgled in his throat as his clear blue eyes struggled to find something to focus on.

He wasn't going to make it.

"Hur…Hurts…" The blonde boy whispered incoherently, blood oozing out from his mouth.

Levi knelt down beside him. He couldn't recall how many times he had played this role. "It's over. You can sleep now." He comforted numbly.

"Make…make it…stop…"

"… …" Levi exhaled a deep sigh. He knew what he had to do. He had done it countless times before, but with each time, it only gets more difficult than the time before.

He will never get used to it. Yet he will never stop doing it.

Robotically, he raised his blade like a sword under the blood-stained sky. Like an angel of death, he aimed it for a lethal strike to end the suffering. It pierced through the blonde boy's heart so effortlessly, tearing away also a piece of Levi's soul.

Armin gave one last patched breath that sounded almost like a peaceful sigh of relief before the light faded completely within his eyes. He laid there tranquilly among the other corpses, staring up blankly into nothingness.

"What did you do…?" A choked voice sounded behind. The poor boy stood there shaking, his hands and knees scraped and bloody from climbing down the tree. Disbelief and anguish was written on his face as he witnessed the death of his best friend at the hands of his hero, "_ What did you do?_ " He cried out, his voice breaking.

Levi closed his eyes for a second. He knew, from the second he raised his blade, that this would never be forgiven. Something had broken into a thousand pieces, and he could never piece it back together again. This had been a selfish act to disobey God, and with such exemption must come the equivalent consequences.

The boy wobbled in solitude in the midst of the debris, tears washing down his wasted face. He couldn't – _ wouldn't_ – understand it. The man was supposed to save him. The man was supposed to be invincible. The only blood that those blades should have tasted was supposed to be from the titans. Yet there Armin was, shredded into fragments, his warm smile was no more.

"You killed him." The boy whispered shakily. "You – "

_ Murderer_ . Levi finished for him silently as Eren's voice got caught in his throat.

Wordlessly, Eren stood for what seemed like a millennium, the distance between them stretching on and on endlessly until he couldn't make out the man's appearance anymore.

In that time, the last titan had finally acknowledged their existence and stumbled clumsily towards the back of the crying boy, extending its arm. Levi sped over as fast as he possibly could as a giant hand swiped down to reach for the boy.

He wasn't about to let that happen.

Strong arms wrapped around the boy before the titan's fingers closed, yet the motion of the giant hand swiped the pair off their feet. Levi turned around in midair so Eren was completely protected within his embrace. His back broke the windows of the orphanage before he fell to the floor, shards of glass mounted on his skin. The titan peered through the broken window with its ugly eye to look for them, and attempted to stick its hand in.

"Oh, no you don't!" Someone else called almost joyfully, and the titan fell face first onto what was left of the roof, the back of its neck missing.

The Survey Corps had finally arrived.

"You okay in there?" Asked the slayer.

"About time, four eyes." Levi said back. Struggling to stand up, he hurried to see if the boy was okay. To his surprise, the boy used the last amount of energy to push him away.

"Levi! Wow, you look terrible!"

Levi waved a hand dismissively at Hanji. He was in no mood to deal with her at the moment. Quivering like a wounded animal was the boy he had tried so hard to protect. Yet he had done the absolute opposite.

Those tiny fists clenched together and started to beat on Levi's chest, the only part of him Eren could reach. Immense woe was swallowing him, dragging him headfirst into a pool of affliction. The sorrow was like torture, eroding his insides.

"Give him back!" Eren choked, "Give him back…_ please_ …"

Levi merely stood there and endured the boy's futile attempts to hurt him. His vacant eyes gazed at Eren almost sadly, saying nothing in return. Finally, his strong hand found the back of Eren's head and pushed the boy's forehead onto his stomach. Eren tried to squirm away unsuccessfully, as Levi was far too powerful to fight against. After a few failed tries, the boy finally gave up and started sobbing into Levi's shirt.

As he cried his shattered heart out, his small fists unclenched and dropped weakly until he was simply hugging the man around the waist, the only physical piece of the world he could still hold on to. He knew Armin would never come back again. He had seen too much to believe in miracles.

Levi breathed out deeply as the boy clung to him. Soundlessly, he took in the smell of rotten flesh and the grief of a child. Tears bled through his shirt, soaking him with melancholy. The boy had always looked up to him either in trepidation or reverence, both of which were now absent in his eyes. All that was left was bare torments of misery.

Physical agony meant nothing to Levi. He had been injured almost to the point of mutilation before. Yet it was the utmost crippling pain, to know that he had utterly disappointed a child who used to think of him as his entire world; his sole reason of existence.

…

…

…


	10. Grief

...

...

...

The howling wind blew sand into the boy's eyes. He knelt there in daze among the mountain of lifeless bodies, unaware of the people around cleaning up after the massacre. His legs were numb, and so were his palms from his fingernails digging in. Teardrops fell like scattered rain onto the back of his hands.

"Eren. We're leaving."

"No." Said Eren obstinately. He refused to look at the man. Grief and enmity had overpowered fear. He was no longer terrified of anything.

For a few moments, the man let him be. Then a powerful grasp pulled him to his feet. Eren's entire body shook from repulsion and abhorrence.

"No!" The boy cried, "Lemme go! I'm not leaving him!"

The man did not listen to his cries of refusal. He simply threw Eren over his shoulder. Upside down, Eren saw the man pick something up from the ground. He realized that something was what was left of Armin. Aghast, Eren let the man carry the both of them deeper and deeper into the woods, until they were beneath a large elm tree.

Eren was thrown off the man somewhat brutally, and had to roll around the grass before he could stand again. Confused and angry, he saw Levi pick up a shovel. For a split second, he thought the man was going to hit him with it. Yet Levi merely started digging at the roots of the tree.

Eren watched the man closely. His cape was askew, and his jacket no longer spotless. His injured hand had been poorly wrapped around by bandages daubed with blood. The blood blotches on his slightly hunched back were blinding. His movements were stagnant, the limp on his left leg becoming more and more obvious as he plummeted the shovel into the Earth. Soon, a small hole appeared and Levi started to set Armin's body slowly into the ground.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked shrilly. The boy didn't understand this at all. His tiny fingers grabbed onto Levi's sleeve and tried to get him to let Armin down. The man had already taken away his best friend. He wasn't going to allow him to put Armin in a hole!

Levi's eyes were tired and lifeless. "Let go."

"N-No!" Tears began to cascade down the boy's cheeks without his consent.

For a short while, they were stuck in an impasse. It wasn't until a small warm hand slid into Eren's did the startled boy withdrew his grasp on Levi.

"It's called a burial." Mikasa said softly in Eren's ear. "To let him sleep." There were tear stains on her ashen face.

Eren's lower lip trembled. "But it's so cold…down there…"

The boy needn't have worried, though. Levi had already taken off his green cloak and wrapped it around Armin. Eren felt a little better now that he couldn't see Armin's missing body parts. He watched silently as Levi gently placed Armin down and reloaded the grave with fresh dirt. As the last corner of the grave was filled, Eren finally came to accept the harsh truth that his friend was gone.

Forever.

When he was younger, he had been taken to places like this by adults he didn't know. They pointed to the Earth and told him that his parents lay beneath it. How could they have, though? Eren had thought. He had just seen them the day before. They had a luxurious supper because it was his birthday. How could they be lying in the ground? It didn't make sense.

For days beyond, Eren had waited for them to come home. He waited on the doorsteps as nights fell and suns rose. He waited until he was too tired and hungry to keep his consciousness. He didn't understand at all. Didn't his parents love him? Didn't they miss him? Why won't they come home?

It wasn't until the villagers found him passed out on the street did he get sent to the orphanage.

His parents never came back.

Eren had stared at the clear sky for countless nights and wondered which star was his mother. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish which one was the brightest. He slowly came to the terms that his mother was in the heavens, and maybe father was with her.

But now he understood. The ugly truth had never been so clarified. His parents did not become stars. Nor are they looking down on him. They laid under the dirt, cold and alone, like Armin does now, a broken, unwanted fragment.

…

…

…

"Eren. Come here."

Eren ignored the man and kept his distance from him. He hadn't wanted to leave the orphanage; nor had he wanted to leave Armin behind. But he was given no choice. The man had disregarded his unwillingness and hurried them away from the bloodbath aftermath of the war. Eren didn't understand why they had to run away. The battle had already been fought, and they had already lost.

"Don't make me hurt you." Levi said coldly.

Eren shuffled his feet until he came to the brink of the lake where Levi knelt. Hastily, Levi stripped him of his clothes and started to scrub the boy's thin arms to rid of the muck and blood. He rubbed until Eren's skin turned pinkish under the opaque moonlight.

The boy stood abjectly in the crisp waters, hanging his head in obedience. He seemed to have lost all energy.

Levi heaved a small sigh as he started to wash Eren's hair. He didn't know how it came to this. This turn of events had left the boy so laden with heavy grief that his thin shoulders sagged under the weight of it.

Levi hadn't wanted this. He barely had time to properly bury the other kid before he heard hooves of the horses carrying the Military Police. If they had recognized Eren for who he was, they would have taken the boy away.

Yet why did that concern him at all? The boy was a prisoner; an experiment at most. Nothing more.

"…Why?"

Levi paused as the single syllable left the boy's lips. Eren had squeezed his eyes shut to keep tears from falling. His body was shaking, creating tiny ripples around him.

He knew what the boy was asking. And he knew it would come sooner or later.

"…He was going to die." Levi replied calmly.

"But that wasn't your call!" Eren shouted, batting away Levi's hand in his hair.

Levi looked at the boy unemotionally. The obvious fury the kid carried did not sway him. "This is war, Eren. If you're closer to death than life, no one can save you. Only a selfish fool would choose a long and painful death for a friend. …Now hold still."

Eren sniffed resentfully as Levi washed the bubbles from his hair. He didn't care about the logic. He wasn't even sure what "selfish" meant. All he knew was Armin had been taken away from him. He was angry with the titans for being at the orphanage. He was angry with the nuns for not protecting Armin. He was angry with Levi for putting that blade into Armin's heart. But above all else, he was angry with himself for being the same creature that tore Armin apart.

Levi dabbed at the boy's face with a handkerchief roughly to clean the blood and tears. Yet the tears never ceased to stop.

"…Can you fix me?" The boy asked between sobs, his shoulders shaking violently in complete defeat.

Levi froze for a second, not comprehending the boy's intentions.

"Can you?" Eren whimpered again.

"…Fix what?"

"I don't want to be a t-titan anymore…"

Levi's eyes widened slightly at the stifled confession of a grieving child. The hatred that he had expected from the boy did not take place. The animosity and disgust the boy held was for himself, which made his agony a thousand times more heart-aching than it already was.

The tears, the affliction, and the weak wail of dolor awoke the empathy Levi thought he had buried long ago. It wasn't his place to console the boy; nor was it his responsibility. Yet his stern face softened all the same.

"There's nothing to fix." He finally informed resolutely, "…You are not a monster."

The pearly moonlight bounced off their beaten bodies, forging shadows of indifference on the translucent waves. The smothered sobs indicated otherwise, and each cry of mourning was like a toxic thorn on the heart of stone the man once owned.

…

…

…


	11. Belief

...

...

...

Eren watched the man for a long time as he scrubbed those blades clean of blood. His movements were brisk and meticulous, as though the previous encounters with death did not exist. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought Levi was just a normal swordsman who came across some filthy weaponry. But even from the back, the boy could sense just how fatigued the man was. He gazed at Levi sadly: what he had witnessed about the Survey Corps before was simply the glorious façade. He had no idea what lied behind those heroic actions. What he and the rest of the world saw were supermen who could conquer even the most atrocious monsters. Yet the real people lived behind the masks of valor; and unveiled underneath were dulled calamity, numbness, and hands stained with never-ending blood.

Sleep did not come easy for Eren, especially not when the wound of losing a friend was still strikingly fresh. Back in the orphanage, whenever he couldn't sleep, he would ask the nuns for a bedtime story. If they were in a good mood, they would tell him one, and both Mikasa and Armin would scoot over on his bunk to listen in. His eyes lowered wistfully when he realized that would never happen again. Armin was gone; and he didn't know when he'd be able to see Mikasa again, if ever at all. He doubted he was allowed to go back to the orphanage.

Levi saw the boy's gloomy reflection in the waters but made no intension to turn around. Ignoring his presence, Levi continued to wash the blood smudges on his blade. For a couple of times, he saw the boy open his mouth and struggled to say something, but it always ended with him hastily closing it again.

Finally, Eren let out a small whine of bleakness.

"Levi…? I-I can't sleep…"

Levi stopped disrupting the waters so he could see the helpless shadow of the barefoot boy on the fluctuated currents.

"Come make yourself useful then." He said dispassionately.

Eren hesitated before making his way to Levi, dragging his feet. A part of him regretted speaking up. He knew nothing about fighting tools; and he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the knife that stabbed Armin. He didn't know what he had expected. Of course Levi wasn't going to snuggle him and tell him a story. The man was a fighter. A gladiator. …A killer.

A handful of bandages were thrown in his face, catching him by such surprise that he almost dropped them. The man watched coldly as the young boy fumbled clumsily, trying very hard not to trip over.

When Eren finally picked up the entire load, he saw Levi raise his large hand in front of him, palm up. Those green eyes focused on the deep cut on it and a small gasp escaped before the boy could swallow it down. Eren was only a kid, and he had never been face to face to a serious injury like this. Albeit mischievous, the kids from the shelter only suffered light abrasions from their own playfulness, never a gash like this. The flesh on the man's hand had been completely sliced open, leaving nothing but a dark red gap exuding blood.

"Bandage it." Levi told him.

Eren gulped. "I-I don't know how…"

Levi sighed exasperatedly, "Fasten it here. Good. Now bind it. …Tighter." Though he was intensively annoyed by the kid's ineptness, his tone still softened as he directed the boy.

"Like this?" Eren asked earnestly, hoping he was at least some use to the man; a man who had both saved and destroyed him in the same day.

"…Yes."

As the boy carefully secured the bandages' end, he took a step back to examine his own work. It was sloppy, but it had at least stopped the bleeding.

Levi flexed his fingers a couple of times to make sure the wraps had been tight enough before slowly taking off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt.

"I need you to pull the glass out and wipe the cuts with this." The man handed over a small, clear bottle of medical alcohol.

Eren watched in both anxiety and concern as the man revealed his bare torso. The boy gasped again loudly as he saw the cuts on the muscular back – there were still shards of glass lodged in his skin from his previous fall through the window, in addition to the many other uneven disfigurements.

Trembling fingers traced over the scarred skin and hesitated by the sharp glass. Hot tears fell down, scorching Levi's back as the boy wept. He had never even dared to imagine how broken the man was under those decent clothes he had once yearned. He felt something bitter wedged in his throat. The wounds that the man had gone through – they had all been because of him. If he hadn't gotten captured by those scoundrels… if he hadn't been standing in that titan's attack range… then Levi wouldn't have been hurt at all…

And he had actually tried to cause the man more pain because he blamed him for Armin…

"I'm s-sorry…" Drenched in guilt, the boy wailed softly, "It's a-all my fault…"

Yet Levi simply sat there on the uncomfortable riverbank with his marred back to the child, silently enduring his burning tears and saying nothing in return.

…

…

…

Chevell Babineaux examined the man front of him, a little shocked at his appearance. He had heard from many others that Corporal Levi was a formidable man; the strongest soldier in human history. He had pictured a tall, burly man in his late thirties, with scars all over his face. Yet the man that had arrived looked nothing like who he had imagined. Corporal Levi looked almost too young to be Corporal. He was quite short, and nowhere as muscular as Chevell had thought. The most surprising element was the fact that he was carrying a wrapped up bundle that looked suspiciously like a sleeping child.

"Corporal Levi. It's an honor to meet you in person, Sir." Chevell nodded his head respectively, "We…thought you'd be arriving yesterday."

"I came across some complications." The man replied coolly.

"…Yes, of course." Chevell's eyes travelled to the brown haired child. His youthful face was filled with light bruises. Chevell looked at Levi again. There was blood seeping out the bandages on the left hand that was holding the boy. Chevell wondered how strong Levi could actually be if he had allowed both himself and his child to be hurt to this extent. Then again, Chevell wondered whether Levi himself had beaten this child.

Clearing his throat, Chevell forced a polite smile on his face, "We only prepared one room for you, Sir. We weren't aware you'd be bringing your...son."

Levi's cold eyes swept up lifelessly, "My nephew."

As if hearing his cue, the child spoke up drowsily in a barely audible murmur, "...Arm...Armin…"

Levi frowned and patted him lightly on the back, and the boy fell silent again.

This all seemed very conspicuous to Chevell. He had always been a strict follower to the rules, and he had received very clear orders to prepare one single room for the Survey Corps official.

"I would need to send word to the authority in order to add essentials for your nephew, Corporal." Chevell stated.

"There's no need for that."

Chevell paused for a moment, "Um…well, that's not quite up to you, you see. We only have enough provisions for you, Sir. I need to check with the authority to know whether they'd be able to distribute more for your nephew. It's my job to – "

Levi had closed his uninjured hand around his neck, his grasp so stringent that it had closed the airway to his lungs. Pathetically, Chevell struggled and gasped, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. His eyes had bulged comically at the force the man had held. His feet were barely touching the ground due to the man's hold on his throat. He had experienced, firsthand, how intimidating Levi could be.

"You will report nothing. You will turn a blind eye towards my nephew. If you write to the authority," Levi tightened his grip on Chevell's neck, making him splutter even more incoherently, "…I will make sure it's the last order you ever adhere to. Do you understand me, Soldier?"

Chevell forced himself to nod, as he could make out no words. His entire body was trembling at Levi's unemotional attitude, as if only stating a fact instead of threatening his life.

Levi let go abruptly, and Chevell fell to his knees. Coughing, he massaged his neck. From his peripherals, he saw Levi walk away, no longer the violent attacker he was just a second ago.

...

...

...

Levi had been at war for as long as he could remember. Whether it was with the titans, or with the Military Police. He had been the youngest soldier to join the Survey Corps years ago, and it had been the only life he had known. His past had been sealed, but he had lost almost everyone along the journey to point where the little humanity left behind in him had been reduced to smithereens.

It had been a long time, too long, since anyone had broken into the prison he had incarcerated himself within. Yet the simple-minded child was starting to do so, somehow.

Levi was suddenly extremely aware of the boy's cheek on his shoulder. The kid had sobbed himself to sleep after he saw the wounds on Levi's jarred back. Whether if it was because the scars had been too terrifying, or the longing for the kid's friend had been too excruciating, Levi was not sure. The boy had been inconsolable, and Levi wasn't one to offer comfort in the first place. He had gotten too tired of the consistent cries. Tears solved nothing. Crying was only a form of expression, which, to Levi, had always been redundant. But he knew there was no way a 5-year-old would come to comprehend that.

Eren shifted lightly and mumbled a few other inarticulate words. Levi glanced at the sleeping child, taking in his puffy eyes and swollen cheek.

Subliminally, Eren's thin arms around the man's neck tightened. As if he were petrified the man would vanish into thin air if he let go, and leave him with nothing but an armful of tragic hollowness.

…

…

…


	12. Sickness

...

...

...

When morning came and the sun rose, the boy did not wake. Levi had pushed the twin bed against the battered wall and set Eren carefully on the inner side so he wouldn't roll off during the night. He had lain prudently on the other side so as not to wake him; yet the boy had slept through the night with only quiet cries for his friend.

As the morning sunlight found its way through the cracked window, Levi had tried to wake Eren, but he shoved him a bit too hard, and the boy's head collided with the wall with a soft thud. The man frowned in concern, but still, Eren slept on. Levi's slanted eyes fixated on the sleeping child's slightly flushed appearance. There were sweat beads on his face, and his cheeks were reddish. His breathing was quick and shallow, and abnormally hot.

Levi touched the boy's forehead with the back of his hand – it was extremely warm. Eren was burning a fever. The boy wasn't sleeping at all; he was unconscious.

Of course.

Eren had been beaten, kidnapped, and starved in the same day. The stupid kid had also disobeyed specific orders and witnessed the death of his friend. Then he had been given a cold bath in the middle of the night. Of course he'd be sick.

Levi felt a little annoyed at himself for lacking the common sense on caring for a child. And he was even more agitated at how weak Eren was. Sighing, he turned to leave for his first day on duty. He refused to abandon his orders just to look after a sick child. There wasn't much he could do anyway; he wasn't a doctor.

A day on the training grounds was banal and seemed to drag on forever. Normally, the regulations soothed him, but today they just made everything duller than it already was. He was already fed up with the novices and their idiotic attempts at managing the gears. From his perspective, these newbies were a long way from becoming soldiers. Second Lieutenant Chevell Babineaux stayed a great length away from him, and there were no whispers about his "nephew". But he could have been the most virtuous man alive and still not escape the wraths of calumny. As soon as he stepped into view, quite a few brassy trainees judged him aloud in clutters.

"Awfully short, isn't he, for a man claiming to be humanity's strongest?"

"He doesn't even have a cape."

"His hand is hurt too, look! It's bandaged and everything."

"I've heard he used to be a thief underground!"

Their judgmental tones did not bother Levi the slightest. He rarely cared about others' opinions on him. They were mere rackets to his ears. Only one of the recruits stood out to him because she looked nothing like a cadet. Her flaming red hair was too carefully styled, and she was far too thin to handle the heavy blades. She was also scrutinizing him from afar bitterly, holding off on her comments.

When training finally ended, Levi found himself looking forward to the wooden shack that harbored the boy. Subconsciously, he walked quicker and quicker, until he was on the verge of running. But when he unlocked the door, he found Eren in the same position he left him, still unconscious.

Clenching his jaw, Levi wiped the Eren's face with a warm towel as carefully as he could manage. Eren was sweating profusely, but his small body was in shivers, even under the thick blankets. Levi tried to force down some water through those dry, chapped lips, but the boy refused to open his mouth unless to mutter Armin's name.

Levi slept very little that night, and woke every few hours to check the boy's temperature. But day came again and Eren's condition did not ameliorate. By now, Levi's frown had deepened so much that it seemed sculpted on his face. He tucked the corners of the blankets around Eren cautiously before leaving for duty again.

The next day was the same. It was as if the ignition of hope inside the boy had finally burnt out, and he chose to leave this heartless world behind. Silent tears slid out from the corner of his tightly shut eyes and moistened the pillow beneath. As Levi wiped them away with a calloused finger, Eren uttered a small whisper.

Levi leaned in to hear clearer. The boy was calling Armin's name softly in a cracked voice.

"…Armin…where…" Eren slurred faintly. "…where are…?"

Levi stared at the pitiful boy, his expression indecipherable.

"…where…"

The man's eyes lowered, and his lashes obscured the concern suppressed deep within. He remained silent for a while before finally responding the sad calls of the comatose boy.

"…In the skies." He said quietly as his long, scarred fingers soothingly pushed away a few locks of brown hair from the boy's forehead.

Eren's young face scrunched up for a second upon the words. "…A star?" He breathed out.

"Yes." The man answered.

Eren's features relaxed, and he drifted deeper into sleep. Levi waited for some time before realizing he had no sign of waking up. The boy was completely unaware. It was going to be another restless night for the man.

The days became gradually more difficult. Levi had not slept well since the first day on the road with the boy. And Eren's current condition only brought more apprehension. If his fever doesn't subside, Levi would have to take him to the infirmary, and all infirmaries were under direct control from the authority. One look at the boy, and the medics would be hastening to report the appearance of a titan-shifter.

The boy seemed to have given up. He laid there under the tattered blankets, so small that he may disappear into the darkness that was overcoming him. The light within those emerald green eyes could no longer shine away the stifling shadows. Countless shades of glooms overwhelmed him, swallowing his once golden spirits. But the boy made no attempt to fight them off.

It was not a battle Levi could win for him.

Levi had been a straightforward man. Problems found him, and he solved them one by one. Some were more tedious than others, and took him longer, but he had never failed. Yet this time he was absolutely helpless. He could not chase away disease or sickness. He could not ease the painful grief in the boy's heart. He could not manipulate death and bring a titan casualty back to life.

He was unable.

He was powerless.

…

…

…

_"Wait! Wait for me!"_

_"Hurry up then!" A warm, childish laughter._

_"I'm trying…!"_

_He tried to run, but his legs were like rubber. He held out a small hand to grab onto the shadow floating in front of him, but touched only air._

_"Quickly!" Said the familiar voice of his best friend, who had started to fly towards the sky, further and further away from him._

_Panic took over, and he tried to follow, but he had no wings. "Wait!" He called._

_Armin giggled and rose up higher and higher until he disappeared into the fluffy clouds._

_"Wait…"_

…

"Wait…" Eren murmured.

The long lashes fluttered for a while before opening, revealing iridescent green eyes. The boy sat up languidly, taking in his surroundings. His head felt heavy, and his throat was burning. Carefully, he climbed out of bed, swaying slightly from lightheadedness. He felt woozy, and a bit scared. Primitively, his widened eyes darted across the unfamiliar room in search for the man. He had feared Levi, admired him, and then hated him with a burning passion. But now the poor boy was just confused. He resented Levi, yet Levi was the only thing he had left, and he couldn't lose him. Not when his entire world was shattering into pieces.

And the man…

The man was sitting by his bed, his head bowed and a wooden bowl in his large hands. The glum candlelight danced and flickered, fabricating dark shadows on the man's face. He seemed to be asleep, but the position he held himself in looked like a soldier on a night's watch.

"…Levi?" The boy asked tentatively, his voice almost inaudible from lack of use.

The hunched man made no movements.

Eren gulped and tiptoed closer to the immobile mountain of death. "…L-Levi?"

Sluggishly, the man stirred. When he raised his head, Eren took a small step back. Never had he seen the man so tired and so beaten. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he hasn't slept in months. There was the slightest stubble on his usual impeccably clean face, and he looked older; a lot older than Eren had remembered.

"…You're awake." Levi stated unfeelingly. The boy couldn't have understood what was veiled behind the unemotional tone the man carried. The weight of those two simple words had been immeasurable; yet the exhaustion on the man's otherwise handsome face had said it all.

"Uh-huh." Eren nodded. He was so anxious to share his dream that he got over being upset with the man temporality, "I had a long dream and I saw Armin. He's not gone at all; he's in the sky now. A star, like my mom."

"… …"

"…Can you take me to see him?" The boy asked delicately, looking up through thick lashes hopefully, all the while afraid of hearing the answer.

Levi merely handed over the wooden bowl where a clump of cold porridge laid. It seemed as though he had been holding it for a long time. "Here, eat this."

Eren turned away from the bowl. He was dizzy and a bit nauseous, and did not want to eat anything. "I'm not hungry."

Levi was gripping the bowl so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand were starting to stand out. His lips thinned considerably, and he had to fight the urge not to chug the damn food down the kid's throat.

"Eat." He said murderously, forcing the bowl into Eren's hands.

Eren gave a small shiver and sneaked a fearful look at him. Hesitantly, he picked up the spoon. He felt wronged and hurt. He didn't want to eat, and he didn't know why the man would force him to. His lower lip trembled sadly, and he looked ready to burst into tears at any second.

Levi watched the poor kid for a while before heaving a low sigh and giving in. "Eat, and I'll take you to see him."

_"Really?"_ Eren gushed at once, his eyes shining. "You promise?"

The gray eyes met the green, and searched them carefully, as if looking for something. When he finally saw the glimmer within, his shoulders relaxed with relief.

Hope, it was the lone force stronger than any other. And what the boy held behind those green eyes was so breathtakingly beautiful it must have come from another world, where only goodness soared. Levi looked away, as the gaze from the angelic child was threatening to capture him in a fortress of enchanting blessedness. He had been dauntless, even at the confrontation of Death himself. But he was afraid for once, because if he allowed himself to fall, he feared that he would never stop falling.

"…Yes."

...

...

...


	13. Intrusion

...

...

...

"I don't get it."

The boy looked defeated. Crestfallen. He glanced at the night sky, then at Levi, then back at the skies. A mixture of incomprehension and gloom reflected upon his pallid face under the pearly moonlight.

Levi had brought the boy to the top of the bell tower – the highest building in this godforsaken town. It was as close to the stars as they could possibly reach. Yet the boy had obviously fabricated something much more concrete than this in his simple mind.

"You said –" Eren hiccupped while his green eyes slowly filled with tears, "– that you would – would –"

"Watch it." Levi interrupted coldly as Eren staggered on the rooftop wobbly, overridden by his emotions. The man swiftly caught the boy's forearm and brought him upright again.

Eren looked up at the man with trembling lips, his voice barely audible than a whisper, "…I don't see him."

Levi stared back unblinkingly. The boy waited impatiently for a response, yet none came. The man simply stood there, statue-like. Only his firm, ironclad grasp indicated he was more than stone.

"I don't see him." The boy repeated stubbornly. He felt angry and lied to. The man had promised – _promised!_ – and yet there was no Armin. A scorching outrage that didn't belong to the boy was boiling within. Like a monster, it was screaming to be let out, burning his insides.

"You promised!" The boy cried shrilly, "You promised me!" Violently, Eren tried to shake off the man's hold on himself, yet the more he struggled, the tighter the man held on, "Let go of me! You liar! I want to see Armin! You promised!"

Incontrollable tears began to pour down his ghastly cheeks, blurring his vision. He couldn't see anything; couldn't hear anything except for the loud ringing in his ears. He had believed – truly believed – that he would somehow see his best friend again. Because if Levi had promised, then it would have to be true. Because Levi was invincible.

Except he wasn't.

He lied.

Just like everyone else.

And it felt like losing Armin all over again, except much, _much_ worse, because he had allowed himself to be hopeful.

The angry cries subsided and gradually turned into quiet, doleful sobs. Eren stopped fighting against Levi's grip and instead heaved his tiny shoulders up and down in subduing his sobs. One tiny hand came up to wipe those green eyes, only to cause more tears of agony.

He didn't understand.

He couldn't.

"Are you done?"

Eren looked up at the man's poker face, shocked and hurt by the chilly response. After a short pause, he nodded morosely.

"Good." Replied Levi. He let go of Eren and sat down on the rooftop, his gray eyes travelling to the dark abyss in the sky. For the first time in weeks, he felt at peace. The emotional rollercoaster that came with taking care of Eren left him annoyed and agitated. He had loathed the boy, then accepted him, only to thoroughly scar him. The days Eren lied unconscious, bedridden with fever, had been the worst days of his entire life. To have the kid wake up seemed like a blessing he didn't remember praying for.

All it mattered right now was that the kid was okay.

"Come sit down." He said quietly.

Eren blinked at him, unknowing.

Sighing, Levi laid his injured hand on the boy's back and guided him to the space in front of himself. Docilely, Eren obliged and climbed into the man's embrace, no longer the angry and spiteful boy he was a minute ago.

Levi pulled the boy close so he wouldn't fall. Silently, the pair gazed into the empty skies that stretched endlessly into the beyond.

"You won't see him again." Levi said quietly.

Eren twirled around, a look of disbelief on his face, "Ever?"

Levi stared into those hypnotic green eyes unfeelingly, but he toned down in the slightest. "…Not for a long time."

"So when can I see him?"

"When you die." Levi replied.

Eren's pale face grew even whiter. The boy did not fully comprehend the meaning of death, but he knew that the dead lay deep under the earth, somewhere he never wanted to be.

"When you die, you go to a different world." Levi continued as he murmured against the boy's soft chestnut hair, "And you will see all those who have gone before you. That's when you can see them again, and share stories of the life you've lived."

Lies. All lies.

Levi had never been a religious man, despite also growing up in one of the orphanages in a church. He had danced with Death himself too many times to believe in any kind of alternative ending. There was no life after death. Bodies are left to decay in the dirt, while existence is wiped away by time. Yet it isn't so awful, at least not to him. It would be purification of this hell they were all forced to live in.

It was freedom.

It was serenity.

"You're lying." Whispered Eren, his narrow shoulders shaking with silent sobs again. "Armin didn't go to another world. He's underground. You put him there – I saw it."

The tips of Eren's floppy brown hair tickled against the man's thinned lips as the boy wept. Heaving a small sigh of dispassion, Levi closed his eyes.

"His body is underground, yes." He said tacitly. "His soul, however…" The man gestured to the skies somewhat carelessly. He felt exasperated feeding this bullshit to the kid. The irony was tangent: he used to ridicule those weak, terrified humans who refused to accept the mere biology of death; yet here he was right now, preaching the same philosophy they did.

"What's a soul?" Asked the boy, turning around to look at the man again, almost knocking into the man's straight nose in the process. Years of training had made Levi incredibly agile: he swiftly shifted back half a centimeter to avoid the collision.

"The immortal part of you that can't die."

"Ever?" Asked the boy again, a glimmer of sparkle returning to those assimilating green eyes.

Levi went blank for the second. The sheer yearning the boy was exhibiting was of the purest nature. He could almost feel the longing materialize and wrap around him like a thick blanket. Those hopeful eyes widened as the boy waited patiently yet impatiently for an answer.

"…Ever."

The tiniest smile broke across the pasty, young face; a smile so watery that it seemed like the boy had forgotten how to smile properly.

"So he_ is_ a star." Breathed Eren, "And so is my mom."

"Yes." Levi lied through his teeth adamantly.

"Will I become one too?"

"Yes."

"What about you?"

Levi stiffened. As transparent as the boy was, he could never anticipate the questions and reactions. Yet it did not annoy him the way it did before. Even though Eren still had his back to him, the stillness the kid sat indicated he was waiting intently for an answer from the man.

Levi scrutinized the back of the boy's head. The atrocities that he had conducted came flooding back to him. The screams echoed in his head, while the smell of rotten flesh filled his nostrils. His cold, demoniac eyes had witnessed the most grotesque deaths. His blood-stained hands had annihilated monsters and massacred humans all the same. Yet he was the most heinous behemoth of all. Throughout all that carnage and bloodshed, his unfeeling heart had remained…cruelly indifferent.

If there ever was a hell more abominable than the one they lived in right now, he knew he would eventually end up there.

Yet what was one more blatant lie?

"…Yes."

…

…

…

The dull days at training camp brightened significantly now that Eren was healthier and happier. Levi found himself rushing through training during the day to go back to the warm harbor where the boy eagerly waited for him to come back. The stupidity of the trainees intensified his yearning to be rid of them.

During the first week, he had caught a pair of nosy cadets trading gossip during stealth training. While the others were focused on discovering good hiding spots and camouflages, two girls had hidden conspicuously behind the low bushes near the woods.

"He's quite handsome." Giggled the first girl, pointing secretively to a tall, blonde boy that had settled himself in the high branches of the tree.

"And quite arrogant." Scoffed the second. "I'd _much_ rather prefer Corporal Levi."

"_Shhhh_, not so loud!" The first girl giggled even harder.

Levi's face darkened. He had been right behind them, and the formidable aura he wore around him was even more toxic than usual.

"And that's some stiff competition you've found yourself."

"What do you mean?" The second girl asked.

"Haven't you noticed? Zoey's got her eye on Corporal Levi. She's always sneaking looks at him." The first girl said contemptuously.

"Not Zoey Blighty?" Groaned the second.

"Who else?"

"Having fun, are we?" Asked Levi quietly.

The girls shrieked and fell out of the bush, one of them scratching her arms forcefully against the branches.

"C-Corporal Levi, s-sir."

"We were just – just –"

"Disregarding training?" Levi asked again, in the same dangerous voice.

"No, sir!" Yelled the first girl, while the second shook her head violently.

"Perhaps you don't know the consequences of not taking stealth training seriously." Levi continued, "You will die in battle. And your comrades will die with you. Along with civilians you could have saved."

His tone was even, yet ominous. He had seen it many times before: the idiotic soldiers who underestimated the importance of the tedious tasks were always the first ones to die.

The girls stared at him with widened eyes, huddling close together.

Levi bent down and picked up a jagged rock from the ground. He did not remove his death glare from the girls, but threw the rock with great force towards their direction. The girls squealed and closed their eyes, under the impression that he was going to hit them with it. However, when a distant thud sounded behind them, both girls opened their eyes and looked around to see what had happened.

The guy the first girl had said was handsome had fallen out of his tree. He looked angry and confused. There was a dirt bruise in the middle of his chest where the rock hit him, staining his straw-colored shirt.

Realization dawned upon the girls' faces as they looked from him to Levi. Neither of them could come up with anything to say.

"He was exerting his greatest efforts to stay hidden." Levi stated coolly, "What do you think could have happened to you?"

One of the girls trembled.

…

…

…

The last day had been career day. Levi sat there behind a battered desk, going through the files of all the cadets carelessly. He was supposed to assess each trainee by their individual strength and give them an evaluation to assist in pursuing future career outcomes. All menial work, of course, as distributed down by the authority.

As much as he detested it, though, he was also troubled by what would happen once it was all over. Eren would have to return to the labs. He had known, of course, that the escape was temporary. Yet in the short time of two mere weeks, they had travelled through more pain, sickness, and death than any five-year-old could ever handle.

Levi couldn't bring himself to think what heinous experiments awaited the boy behind those sinister doors, the ultimate separating barrier. Instead, he focused on the papers in front of him.

"Expectant career?" He asked tonelessly for the umpteenth time.

"M-Military Police." Answered a tremoring voice. It was one of the giggly girls from stealth training.

Levi gazed down at her stats. She was lacking in almost every single category.

"Alternative?" He asked again.

She blinked. "Um…I-I guess the…Garrison?"

"You guess?"

"I mean, I'm sure!" She said quickly.

Levi looked up at her coldly. She stood there, utterly out of place, terrified of his upcoming assessment.

"Work on your stealth and agility training, then."

She looked relieved. "Thank you, Corporal Levi! A-And about last time–"

"Next." Replied Levi, cutting her off.

She opened her mouth but said nothing. Hanging her head, she walked away looking quite defeated.

"William Brentwood, sir."

Levi recognized him as the boy he knocked out of the trees.

"Expectant career?"

"Military Police, sir." He stated clearly.

It didn't surprise Levi. Most of the trainees here were after the easy lifestyle Military Police faced within the innermost wall and away from all the danger. They were rarely on site for titan attacks, and dealt mainly with clean-up or riots by civilians inside the walls. William Brentwood was one of the best trainees in this group; and highly likely to be selected for the Military Police.

Levi wrote down his evaluation and handed his file back to William.

"Thank you, sir."

"Next."

"Zoey Blighty."

Levi raised his stony gaze slowly. During his time here, she had been very present. Almost all of the cadets whispered about her behind her back, whether about her good looks, or her poor skills.

"Expectant career?"

"Survey Corps." She answered.

She had been the first to request that all day. Mildly surprised now, Levi studied her. Her flaming red hair was tucked neatly behind her ears as usual, and styled as carefully as possibly. Her brown eyes seemed to bore into his, and she made no intention of averting her gaze, but instead stared at him intently; almost hungrily, attempting to suck him in.

"Reason?" Levi asked. Her file had been very self-explanatory though: she was from a village that had been wiped out from a massive titan attack. In fact, he had been stationed at the nearby village at that time, and was part of the team that eliminated the titans. It was common for survivors of titan attacks to enroll in the military and later in the Survey Corps. They all think they can change the system, and revolutionize the world, despite their mediocre skills and lack of talent. Most of them end up biting the dust on the first mission.

"To do some good in the world." She said with a faint hint of sarcasm.

Levi said nothing and handed her the file with his comments.

"Thank you, Corporal." Zoey said with a light sneer.

"Next."

…

…

…

The sun was setting slowly, giving the skies a pinkish painted kiss that stretched along the horizon. Dusk was the boy's favorite time of the day, because it meant that the man was coming back.

The last week had been heavenly. Though the pain of missing Armin was still raw, there had been stars almost every night since they've been here, shining stubbornly through the skies like beacons of hope. To the boy, this alone proved everything the man had said.

Although the days dragged on endlessly, the nights more than made up for it. The man had taken him around the entire town at night, regardless of how tired he was from a day's worth of work. They had walked past neighborly houses, small farms with sleeping animals, gardens filled with multicolored flowers and fruits, abandoned factories, and glowing churches. But his favorite, had always been, the bell tower. Every night, the man would bring his gear, and take him to the highest tower. Together, they would sit under the blackened sky, yet never into the shadows of desolation. Eren would jabber about excitedly, pointing here and there into the skies, wondering aloud which is which.

The man would always remain silent as stone as the boy chattered on. Yet he was never unwilling. On the contrary, his slanted grey eyes would fixate on the floppy brown hair in front of him, speaking thousands of words that his lips could not…

Eren peered hopefully through the open window, past the many huts and cabins, and focused on the main dirt road that he knew the man would trudge on. A small figure was making his way towards the cabin. Eren hurriedly pushed a chair over to the window sill and climbed up clumsily, as he was too short to see through the window without tiptoeing. A small yelp of surprise escaped the boy's throat: the figure was walking slowly with a slight limp – the man was early today!

Eren jumped off the chair and pushed it towards the center of the room instead. Next, he dashed around the small cabin and collected the Levi's shirt and draped it carefully over the chair. Then he located the man's indoor shoes and propped them on the chair's wooden legs as well. When all is done, the small boy stood next to the door, gazing hopefully upon it for the Levi's arrival.

Before he could contemplate what else could be done, however, the door was thrown open by such force that Eren was knocked off his feet and disappeared from view behind the table. Gasping and wincing, he saw a pair of fairly thin legs walking towards him.

"So it's true…" Said the owner of the legs as a hand came out of nowhere and seized a handful of his hair. Eren yelped as he was momentarily lifted off his feet. His fearful green eyes found the perpetrator: it was a stranger with round eyes, thin lips, and a head of flaming red hair.

"W-Who're y-you?" Stammered the boy, fighting against her grasp.

She cackled almost maniacally, "The end of you, I suppose!" Her grip on his hair tightened as she forced his face upwards to search it.

"You don't look like him much, do you, kid?" She asked, more to herself than to him, "What's your name?"

Eren aimed a kick towards her torso.

"Why – you little shit –" She snarled and slapped him across the face so hard that Eren went momentarily deaf. When he came around, she was muttering to herself again.

"How come no one's heard of you, huh? Would have made my life a lot easier if I knew… Must be an illegitimate bastard, then... Who's your mommy, kid? Some whore he knocked up between towns?" She cackled again, a laugh unfitting of her beautiful yet terrible face.

Eren kept his small mouth shut and stared at her with all the hate he could muster.

"Don't wanna talk anymore? No?" She cooed. "Alright. Guess we'll wait for daddy to come home."

And a nasty smile crept up, distorting her stunning features. Lips stretching so wide that she was on the verge of tearing her mouth, she pulled out a short silver knife from her belt and placed it neatly on Eren's neck.

…

…

…


	14. Metamorphosis

…

…

…

When Levi reached the cabin, he knew instantly something was wrong. The door stood slightly ajar, as if the tenant had just left in a hurry and forgot to close it all the way. He remembered specifically telling Eren to always leave the door locked, no matter what the circumstance.

Clearheadedly, Levi pushed open the door.

A sight like no other came into view: sitting on the small twin bed was Zoey Blighty, the cadet he had just evaluated. And clamped between her knees, stood the boy, his face tear-free yet extremely white, a silver blade pressed upon the side of his neck.

"Welcome back, Corporal." She said pleasantly with a maddening look on her otherwise breathtaking face.

Eren stammered incoherently. A small light of hope shot through his eyes as they focused on his savior standing in the doorway, so dazzling that he seemed to have a halo above.

"Let go of him." Replied Levi in his usual cool voice. He might have been asking for the weather.

Zoey threw back her head and laughed, but it was a shrill laugh that included little humor. "I think you'd better re-analyze the situation you're in, sir!"

Her voice softened into another coo that sounded as horrible as her laugh, "I'm about to slash his throat and paint my nails with his blood."

Levi advanced so suddenly that there wasn't a second's warning.

Yet before he could reach her, she had pushed the knife into the boy's skin.

"Oh no, stay where you are." She said warningly. As beads of blood appeared and slid down the knife into her lean fingers, she was momentarily distracted.

Eren whimpered as the blade went deeper. He could feel a piercing pain on the side of his neck, an agony much more severe than the needles he had to endure during the experiments.

"What do you want?" Asked Levi, who had frozen in the middle of the room, afraid of agitating her into actually plunging the entire knife into Eren's small, exposed neck.

"What do I want?" Zoey repeated, her eyes bulging, "You don't even recognize me, do you? Oh, that is just so typical…so like the godsend _Corporal_ to not remember nobodies like me…_humanity's strongest_, what a load of crap…" She spat on the floor.

"What," Asked Levi again, barely moving his lips now. He looked so hostile that it was hard to tell that he wasn't the perpetrator, "do you want?"

The habitual omen of eradication oozed from his frame and into the room.

"I said stay where you are!" Zoey snapped as Levi made another small movement of advancing. There was no trace of laughter upon her face anymore. In fact, she looked as murderous as he did.

"I've waited a long time for this…" She said quietly, her eyes feasting on him, "I thought I'd have to wait until I can graduate and enroll in the Survey Corps to find you…might have had to move around from team to team just to get close to you…it would have taken me years…decades, even…but lucky me! You get sent to us as a trainer! And with your kid too!"

"He's not my kid."

She continued as if she hadn't heard him, "But, of course, you don't even know why you're here, do you…? You don't even know who I am…well, let's take a walk down memory lane, just you and me, shall we?"

Without waiting for any kind of response, she continued with a glazed look in her eyes, "You came to my village four years ago. There had been a titan attack. A major one. The entire town had been demolished. People were dying left, right, and center. A titan bit off my mother's head. Another tore my sister in half, cleanly in the middle."

She gulped as the words pierced her.

"We had a couple of titans closing in on us, and my father – my father ran towards them. He yelled for me to run – sacrificed himself as food scraps – just so I could get a head start."

The ghost of past trauma flashed behind her dull eyes.

"I thought I was dead. I thought I was a goner. Until I saw you, that is."

And with that, her voice turned into a snarl, "How glorious you all were, high up on your horses, flinging your stupid capes around like flags! I _begged_ you to stay! I begged you to save my father – I pleaded with you on my knees!"

She stared at him loathingly, daring him to look away, yet Levi merely stared back, his face unreadable.

"Do you remember now, dear Corporal?" She asked softly, "How a kid had knelt at the hooves of your horse, begging you to turn around? Do you remember what you did next? Because I do."

"You left! You left, didn't you! You left me there, and I never saw my father, or anyone from that village ever again! You left us to die, you coward!"

Her voice had risen to the point of a scream.

Yet Levi still looked as inscrutable as ever. When he spoke, his tone was calm.

"Do you want me to apologize?"

Zoey laughed again, "Oh, I want more than an apo –"

"Because you're wasting your time." Levi interrupted coldly.

She looked at him with newfound loathing, "Am I now?" She whispered.

"I remember it." Levi told her and watched her eyes widen, "But I regret nothing."

She opened her mouth in surprise, but no words came out.

Levi continued at a steady pace, disregarding her maniac confessions, and disregarding the poor boy still in her mercy.

"Those titans were advancing to the neighboring village. Yours was finished. Our team slayed the titans before they could reach their destination, and saved hundreds of lives."

"Are you saying you couldn't have spared a few minutes to save my father's?" She asked menacingly.

"I could have." Levi replied in the same cool voice, "But that would have been counterproductive. It wasn't –"

"Don't tell me it wasn't worth it!" She hissed, "Don't tell me my father's life wasn't worth a damn!"

Levi looked at her closely. Her hair was no longer scrupulously styled, and her eyes were now bloodshot and filled with angry tears. He understood her pain, a little too well. Yet it was her stupidity that overthrew any other qualities she might have had.

"I expect you want me to admit I was wrong? That I should have stayed behind and helped?" He raised one eyebrow coldly.

She didn't speak, but her expression betrayed her.

"The lives of many outweigh the life of one." He told her, "If I could choose again a thousand times over, I would still have left."

The life drained from Zoey's face completely. It was now distorting into hatred so deep her voice was like a growl, and her hands shook with maddening fury.

"…Then you're about to know exactly how it feels to lose someone you love."

The force on her hand strengthened, and Eren cried out in pain. He could feel something hot and sticky on the side of his neck and knew it was his blood.

"He's not my son, you stupid girl. He's a test subject."

For the first time since he walked into the door, Levi sounded slightly rattled.

"What?"

"My orders are to keep him alive under my supervision until he has served his purpose." Levi stated; his eyes locked onto Zoey's. "…He's a job."

The boy stopped struggling as the words reached his ears. Unbelievingly, he looked at Levi, his small mouth slightly open in shock. He no longer felt the knife in his skin, or his blood gushing out of the fresh wound. He no longer felt the girl's fingers in his hair. He was no longer aware of anything else other than the words Levi had just said, which seemed to penetrate him deeper than any weapon could.

That he was nothing more than a job.

He didn't know what he had thought before; or what he had expected. But the days he spent in the man's presence had been the best days he could remember. A part of him thought it would always be like this – just him and the man – forever.

The man had been nice to him, cared for him, and saved him countless times. Although he was uncommunicative, he had always found ways to reach the boy beyond words.

Because it was his job to.

Everything they had been through flashed by in front of his eyes of jade, slipping further and further away until they resembled mere phantoms.

"N-No, I heard you talking." Zoey was sounding panicky: vengeance was so close that she couldn't bear to let it slip through her fingers. Her grip on Eren slacked, yet Eren did not take notice, "I've been following you for the past few days – camping outside your cabin! You wouldn't…wouldn't talk to him like that – take him out at night – if you didn't care about him…he must be someone to you! He's your son, I know he is!"

Eren looked up hopefully into the face carved by death, longing for him to accept what she had said; longing for him to admit that he, the boy, was someone to him…

And then the man would save him, like he did many times before, because that was what he did, and that was who he was – a hero.

Yet seconds tickled by, and the man remained mute.

Eren didn't dare to breathe. The silence was like a blade prickling at scabbed wounds; a silence so harrowingly strong that it was deafening. Tears were welling up, but they had nothing to do with pain or fear. Terrible sadness was creeping up on him, swallowing him, torturing him… He felt as though his insides had been twisted into tiny knots, and an icy hand had slid its way down his throat to grasp at his heart blindly…

The man remained motionless and dispassionate. His aloof grey eyes were darker than they ever had been, as if filled with tantamount dread. His thin lips parted, and he uttered out the words that thoroughly destroyed the boy.

"He means nothing to me."

…

…

…

A roar, a horrendous scream, filled the air. Smoke erupted out, blocking everything out of sight. More screams came from other cabins, more yells of trepidation and alarm. Broken pieces of furniture got tossed up. A jagged floorboard missed Levi by inches. More smokes, filling the lungs with dirt, and then even more screams.

Levi dived out of harm's way and lunged for his gear, which was propped up against the wall. In the split second that it had occurred, he had already known what had happened. The initial shock wore off immediately as his combat mode kicked in – he knew what he had to do, and his fingers went numb at the thought.

Levi stood his ground and looked up in horrible angst, apprehension pulsing through his veins: through the smokes stood a monster; a monster with the same emerald eyes as the boy – eyes so penetratingly evergreen yet so exhaustively void of purity.

…

…

…


	16. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Note: We are under the impression here that Levi knows nothing about Eren's titan-shifting powers other than what he was told: that the boy could transform somehow.

…

…

…

Levi raised his cold eyes in disquiet as the smoke dissipated into thin wisps of obscurity. A clear sight of a titan came slowly into view. Those same tinge of green focused on him intently, taking in his presence as if he was the only living being in the universe. Then a thunderous roar sounded from the creature's mouth almost majestically, and subsequent screams from nearby cabins erupted like fireworks.

The red-haired girl, Zoey, had been thrown from the vicinity and was now cowering in the corner of the half-smashed room, her eyes wide with severe terror and her lower lip trembling horribly. It was a very familiar scene to Levi. Despite the trainings each recruit went through, most would freeze at the sight of a real titan and submit to the cowardice that they somehow convinced themselves to be non-existent.

It was foolish to pretend to be brave. Fear was the element that promoted composure and ensured survival.

Yet how hypocritical it was for him to freeze at this exact moment as well, incapable of carrying out his obligations.

The blades were clutched so firmly that his knuckles had turned white. He didn't turn his gaze away from the beast that used to be the boy. The crystal-clear instructions repeated itself over and over again in his mind like hypnosis: _Subject Eren Yeager must be terminated if turned into a titan without specific orders…Subject Eren Yeager…must be terminated…terminated…_

Levi's colorless pupils constricted tightly. He had known, subconsciously, of this possibility when he accepted the mission, hadn't he? He had known all along that it may come to this…

Yet he seemed glued to the floor, unable to move a muscle, unable to look away from the titan in front of him.

Zoey finally found her voice and shrieked rancorously, causing the titan to slowly look her way. It was the perfect opportunity: his entire neck was exposed to Levi, who was in direct attack range. The closet that hadn't been knocked over yet would serve as an adept footing that would give Levi enough leverage to perform the slash. All was leading up to the foolproof termination that he had consented to –

– So why hadn't he moved?

"Nooooo!" Zoey screamed again desperately, her voice breaking. The titan had swiped a hand towards her in surprising agility and smashed the wall above her head. He wasn't like the other titans – whether in form or movement. He was smarter, swifter, and all the while more terrifying.

Sobbing, Zoey fell to her knees and attempted to crawl out from the wreckage. Levi seemed to be watching the entire encounter from a faraway land, as if it had happened on a previous mission and he was merely reading the briefs he had been presented with…

The titan lost interest in her pathetic attempts and turned around. The opportunity had passed – he was no longer distracted. The pearls of emerald found Levi again, and he gave Levi an intense look. His bare chest heaved up and down heavily. There was a pause that seemed to stretch into infinity, then he advanced.

Finally jolting back to reality, Levi backed away from the tian's fist swiftly, leaving the cabin behind. The cabin that had once harbored the sick boy…that had stored so many memories that he never knew he would possess…that had provided a temporary home for them, no matter how battered…

The same cabin was falling into pieces in front of his eyes, along with whatever he had with the boy.

The titan bellowed again and shattered what was left of the wall. Cadets from other cabins were crying out and running in the opposite direction. A few had their gears on them but remained rooted on the spot, unsure of how to advance. From afar, a few high-ranked officers were racing towards the action.

In the midst of all the rampage, Levi closed his eyes.

The roars, the screams, and the yells of orders fell away and become distant echoes in his ear. All he could hear was his own steady breathing, and the imminent death he was about to justify.

He was bound, not just by the rules inflicted upon, but by a soldier's honor as well. To protect the safety of the people had been the code he vowed to live by. He knew what he had to do.

He had known for a very long time.

Promptly, his thin eyes shot open, and they were full of hardened determination. The blades in his hands felt exceedingly heavy, yet he ignored the sensation and gripped them tightly. Turning on his heels, Levi propelled towards the creature.

The titan saw him coming and roared angrily but made no intention of initiating a fight. The green eyes followed Levi's rapid movements, as if calculating his next steps. But before any measurements could be interpreted, Levi had leapt onto the debris and pushed himself off the highest groundwork he could find. Spinning around in mid-air, his grey eyes located the weakness of the three-meter-class titan.

His speed was astonishing, and he knew the titan would have no time to turn around. A yell of force escaped his lips and sliced through the smoky air sharper than any blade could. Clenching his teeth together so fiercely that he tasted blood inside his mouth, Levi swung with all his force towards the exposed skin of the iniquitous creature –

_"Covering the rain for you."_

His breathing got caught in his throat. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He didn't understand why he suddenly remembered those insignificant moments; moments that he had pushed to the back of his mind without a second thought.

_"My parents did die in the war…"_

_"But they're still here!"_

_"A star…"_

He was accelerating closer and closer – it was time – there was no other way – it had to be like this – it had to end like this –

_"Will I become one too?"_

_"…What about you…?"_

A feeling like no other crashed through Levi like a boisterous wave. He couldn't comprehend it – but there was no time anyway. He was much too close now; the slash had already been put into action. The tips of his blades had teared through the flesh of the titan – there was no stopping it anymore – it was his job! – his duty! – _to the entire human race!_

The titan's hair was flowing; blown into the air by the wind of the slash. It almost looked poetic as the longish hair floated out of the way to reveal more neck to ensure a clean cut.

The brown of the titan's hair was the exact same shade as the boy's.

Reluctance hit Levi like an acuminous collision. Yelling in frustration, he withdrew the blades, but it was far too late. A thin piece of the titan's neck came detached from the host and flung into the distance. The creature howled into the skies in agony. Hot, scorching blood splattered across Levi's twisted face, burning his skin, yet he didn't take the slightest notice.

Turning in midair, Levi landed on his good leg. He stared down at his hands as blood dripped from the tip of his nose onto the gleaming silver of his weapons. One hand was blood-stained – he had busted open his stitches. Yet both were shaking uncontrollably.

He had never failed to slay a titan.

He couldn't allow this moment of weakness to live on.

Levi's face returned to its normal state of total composure as he turned around determinedly, facing the titan once more. He raised his blades menacingly, ready for another strike – ready to finish what he had started despite everything – yet –

The frosty grey eyes widened. Within the laceration on the titan's neck, was something so familiar that he didn't dare believe it. Half of the boy's face was visible between the cut. The boy – he was _inside_ the titan's body!

Suddenly his next steps were so clear that it seemed as though a fog had been lifted. Before the titan could recover from the first attack, Levi had plunged into the air once more, eyes locked onto the tiny fraction of the boy's face. Two swift movements into the titan's neck revealed more of the boy. Finally, Levi slashed down on where he estimated the boy's hands would be, and the inertia by the force of his hit propelled Eren out of the titan's body.

The three-meter-class fell with a dull thud that slightly shook the Earth, but Levi barely noticed. He stood on the back of the titan's shoulders as it fell, his worried eyes resting only on the boy he had once known.

The blades dropped with a loud clang on the slopslided floors. Rough hands found the boy's shoulders and pulled him out of the clinging muscles. The boy was blazing hot, and he had burn marks around his eyes.

A slightly shaking finger rested under the boy's nose and felt shallow, moist breaths. Levi closed his eyes once more as he allowed himself one luxurious second to feel relief surge through.

The screams have subsided. More and more trainees were tentatively walking towards the scene. Zoey's shrieks have waned into quiet sobs. Several lieutenants were shouting, demanding to know what had happened. A few people have already left in haste, hoping to deliver the message to the authority. Murmurs regarding the situation were breaking out. Among the crowd stood second lieutenant Chevell Babineaux, realization dawning slowly on his face.

Yet nothing else in the world seemed to exist at all but the small, unconscious boy laying in his torn and bloody arms.

…

…

…


	17. Summon

...  
...  
...  
It all happened in a blur. There was no negotiation; mere orders sent from above the food chain. He had watched in cold fury as they took the unconscious boy away, chaining him up as they did so. He had answered to no one and offered no explanation whatsoever before swiftly packing up what was left of his things and leaving for outside the walls as well. He travelled through the night without stopping for so much a drink of water. By dawn, he had arrived back at the Survey Corps headquarters to deliver the news.

“You let them take him?!” Demanded Hanji when he brought them up to speed.

Levi said nothing. 

“They’ll kill him, Levi! Slaughter him like a pig!”

Erwin crossed his muscular arms and stared into space thoughtfully, “No, it was the smart choice. Eren made too much of a scene; it’ll be impossible to hush it up. People will want answers. The authority can’t publicly behead him without justifying it first.”

“Seems pretty justified to me!” Hanji fumed, walking around the room aimlessly.

Erwin shook his head slowly, “…No. There will be a trial, much like the one he was scheduled to appear in the first time he turned, but we won custody and saved him from that fate.”

“Then why can’t we bring him back here again? If the authority demands a reason, we can say we’re better equipped to contain him than the Military Police!”

“We are.” Erwin agreed, “But snatching him from the scene and disregarding the authority will not help Eren in any way. We’ve already disobeyed orders by letting Levi bring him to the training camp. If they find out that the relationship we have with Eren supersedes guardian and test subject, they’ll view us as biased, and we won’t be able to speak on Eren’s behalf at the trial. Like I said, it was a wise choice on Levi’s part.”

Hanji’s shoulders sagged as she looked from Erwin to Levi. They were betting a lot on assumptions, and she wasn’t sure what would happen if they were wrong. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Levi lower his eyes. He had been completely silent after he told them what had happened. Yet his silence seemed to speak louder than words. 

Even at a time like this, Hanji couldn’t help but revere Levi’s clear-headedness. He had tweaked the situation into the best possible outcome: not only did he manage to save Eren’s life after the transformation, he also bought the boy a slim chance of survival during the upcoming trial. 

The only disadvantage was that the consequences of his actions seemed to be eating away at him, for he was quieter than he had ever been.

“…So then, we just wait?” Asked Hanji, aghast. 

“We wait.” Repeated Erwin solemnly.  
…  
…  
…  
Levi laid on his bed for the longest time, staring at the darkened ceiling. He didn’t go back to the dungeons where he and boy used to occupy, but instead went up to his old room. The impeccable cleanliness did not pacify him. Instead, he ran the scene again and again in his mind.

The hooves of the Military Police horses… Dozens of rifles pointed at them… Loud demands for him to hand over the child... 

And he had done the quickest thinking he could and complied. Yet what if that had been the wrong choice? What if he should have just taken the boy himself and fought his way out of there? 

…What if they had already executed the boy? Would he ever recover from tainting his hands with the boy’s blood in addition to the blood of many others? 

The man’s eyes slid out of focus. He couldn’t bear to think about the child’s death. It would have been kinder to kill him there on site rather than let him await a death row. 

Yet why did he care?

Why had he been frightened even in the slimmest when he saw Zoey Blighty threatening the boy’s life? Why had he struggled internally rather than directly terminated the boy when he had turned? Why was he even worried now about the boy’s wellbeing?

Was it really just so the Survey Corps could conduct more experiments on the poor child in order to attempt to understand titan-shifting?

Or because he felt somewhat responsible for the kid since he was the legal guardian?

…Or was it a reason he had not dared explore out of dread?

Levi sighed softly. It didn’t matter anymore – it had been done. 

He had thought that when the time came, killing the boy would be the hardest thing he’d ever have to do. Terminating his life when it had hardly begun, when he had thought of him, the man, as his savior… He would have to live with that for the rest of his abject life. Killing a child, wiping his existence from the world that he had barely set foot in, when he had done nothing wrong except for believing too much in a decaying dream… It would be the most painstakingly difficult thing he would have to do.

But it wasn’t. 

The hardest thing was rescuing the boy from the body of a monster against all odds, then having to let him go yet again to face his wretched destiny.  
…  
…  
…  
The next few days were spent huddling together in meeting rooms, going over possible strategies and attempting to figure out the authority’s angle. The lack of news and orders agitated every one of them, but most of all Levi, whose thin lips pursed together so tightly that it seemed unlikely he’d speak for several years.

“But _why_,” Asked Hanji again for the millionth time, “_Why_ had he turned?”

Erwin rubbed the spot between his brows absent-mindedly, “He was provoked. He believed his life to be in danger.”

“Yes, but was it conscientious? Did he purposely initiate the transformation?” She turned to Levi again, “Levi? Can you walk us through the situation again?”

“It was unconscious.” Levi replied quietly.

Erwin looked thoughtful again as he contemplated this. “Eren knows what you’re capable of, doesn’t he, Levi?”

“I think everybody knows.” Hanji murmured.

Levi remained silent.

“Then it’s quite surprising for him to fear for his life when Levi is there. He must know Levi wouldn’t let the girl hurt him.” 

“A knife was halfway in his neck.” Levi said, barely parting his lips.

“Wasn’t it there from the beginning?” Asked Erwin mildly.

“… …”

A knowing look appeared upon Erwin’s otherwise serious face, “It seems to me there had been something specific that triggered the transformation. Was there anything of that sort, Levi?”

Levi watched him coldly. He knew exactly what had happened. The boy had been scared but stable the entire time in the cabin. He knew what Eren had been through, knew he was tougher than he looked. A recruit with a knife wasn’t going to provoke him into resorting to his deepest defense mechanism.

No. It was him, the man, that had aggravated the mutation.

It was because of what he had said to the boy. Words that were supposed to save him from the wraths of a psychopath yet had yielded the opposite result. Words so callous that they pierced more than skin but into the depth of soul. 

It had been his fault, and his fault alone.

“…No.” He said to Erwin, his voice hard. “I don’t believe so.”

Erwin looked at him closely, surveying him. He seemed to know more than he let on. He opened his mouth, perhaps to state something that couldn’t be refuted, when the door to the room was thrown open brutally by the small figure in the hallway.

“Commander!” Cried Petra, whose eyes bore a look of anxiety, “Corporal! Squad Leader! It’s the other scientists – Montale and Riles – they’ve gone!”

Erwin stood up sharply, knocking over his chair. He didn’t ask for further information but marched straight towards the direction of the laboratories, Hanji and Levi close on his heels.

“When was this?” Levi asked Petra as they all rushed towards the labs.

“I-I don’t know. But it can’t have been for long – I was just there for the reports this morning.” 

“They’ve fled.” Hanji muttered ominously. 

Sure enough, the labs were empty when they arrived. Paperwork was thrown all over the tables. Some of the equipment have been knocked over in haste. A few chairs laid on the floor lopsidedly.  
Hanji hurried over to rummage through what was left behind almost frantically. 

Erwin, however, looked calm.

“The authority must have called them back.” He said.

“Erwin!” Cried Hanji, glasses slipping off the bridge of her nose, “They took everything! All the data!”

“No matter. It’s no use to us right now either.”

“No!” Hanji shouted urgently, “They took my research too – the research I was conducting on inhibiting Eren’s powers!”

Levi turned to her sharply, “You said that was a dead end.”

“It was. But I had a small breakthrough about a week ago.” Hanji frowned hard, “I was careful to hide it from them – how did they know?”

Erwin’s thick brows furrowed together.

“It seems,” He said slowly, “That you weren’t away on missions by coincidence, Hanji. The authority must have arranged that so the other scientists could go through your work while you weren’t here.”  
“Then what does that mean for Eren, Commander?” Petra piped up anxiously, looking at the graven faces in front of her.

Erwin’s icy blue eyes found Levi’s grey ones. They looked at each other mutely, coming to a common understanding.

“It means,” He said seriously, “That Eren is still alive. But they’ve just summoned a few key witnesses to ensure they can execute him.”  
…  
…  
…  
Juridical papers arrived the next morning, jerking them all into a new state of tension.

Levi stood patiently with his arms crossed as he waited for Erwin to finish reading the crested papers sent directly from the authority.

“…They want you, Levi.” Erwin finally muttered after a century of silence.

“To what?” Asked Levi coolly.

“To head over and sign some papers to relinquish the rights to guardianship.”

Hanji grabbed the papers from Erwin and read it over herself, befuddled, “This doesn’t make any sense…all these days with no news and now they want Levi to go back there just for a signature? They could have just sent the papers over!”

“Precisely.” Agreed Erwin, “I think they’re using this as an excuse to question him. To find out exactly what happened with Eren back in the cabin.”

Hanji shoved the papers back to Erwin in disgust, “They’re trying to cheat. They want to know what Levi will say during trial so they can prepare for it.” 

“Should Corporal Levi still go, then?” Petra asked apprehensively. She had grown very attached to the boy and was probably the least practical person here, as her priority was to rescue the small child rather than protect the research.

But as the three soldiers turned around, they found Levi to be nowhere in sight. Petra hurriedly stepped out the doorway to find Levi walking to the front entrance in a sharp pace.  
“C-Corporal Levi?” She called tentatively.

He did not reply. He was already putting on his outside cape around his strong shoulders, his face set. 

She shrunk back into the meeting room where Erwin and Hanji still stood.

“Should I stop him?” She asked meekly.

“No.” Erwin replied, “Let him go.” 

“But –”

“And go with him, Petra.” Erwin added, his tone indecipherable, “He’ll need it.”  
…  
…  
…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is gonna be a reunion between Levi and Eren


	18. Dread

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Kid Eren is not so much physically hurt, but definitely emotionally scarred here. The plot is to demonstrate the ugliness of humanity, but don't worry, everything will be okay in the future (thanks to Levi).

…

…

…

"Corporal – Levi –!" Gasped Petra as she mounted her horse to catch up with the man in front of her. He had left without a word and readied himself for the trip within minutes. Eyes resolute yet empty, he had traipsed for the woods without a backward glance. Even as she struggled to follow him, he showed no sign of slowing down.

"Corporal Levi – Please –" Petra tried again, urging her horse into a reluctant trot behind the man whose shoulders had taken on more weight than anyone could ever carry, "We can't just barge in there unprepared –"

"I am prepared." Said the man laconically.

Petra blinked but recovered herself quickly. She held the leash tighter in her fingers and compelled her horse to catch up with the man so they could ride side by side.

"Understood, Sir." She said adamantly, her sole focus now on the road in front of them.

Silently, the pair travelled onwards as the wind whipped their hair and cloaks back. They journeyed for a good few hours before stopping by a babbling brook for a drink of water.

As Levi bent down to fill his personal flask, Petra stared at his back with a complicated expression on her face.

She seemed to be struggling with herself for quite some time before finally forcing herself to speak up.

"Um," She started in a slightly higher voice than usual, "I-I know it's not the best timing, Corporal Levi, but I…"

She swallowed as words failed her.

Levi stood up and faced her with the same dispassionate face. He did not interject but waited impatiently for her to speak.

It was even harder to say it to his face than his back. Petra lowered her gaze, so she was talking to his boots instead.

"I know how much you've changed since Eren." She whispered, "So I thought – I thought – that I would…draw up some doc–"

"We have to get going." Interrupted Levi deliberately, cutting off whatever she was going to say. He turned on his heels and rearranged the reins on his horse.

"I – Yes, Sir." Petra said, abashed. She bit her lower lip as she climbed up upon her own horse. It hadn't been the right moment – she had almost ruined it.

As Levi started again down the narrow pathway within the darkening woods, Petra locked her gaze onto the small of his back. It was no matter. She would have the opportunity to ask him again some other time.

She just hoped with all her heart that he wouldn't be too cross with her once he knew.

…

…

…

It was another bleak morning. Eren had just woken up. Sluggishly, he blinked at the dark walls, not really comprehending anything. There was a split second where he couldn't remember who he was, or why he was here, and the wonderful feeling of oblivion took over. Then everything came rushing back to him, plunging him into a new mood of misery.

There was the tiniest window with tight bars in his cell though, so only minimal sunlight shot in. Eren only knew it was early morning because the guards were chatting about last night's poker game at the end of the hallway.

He rolled over on his side to muffle the sounds of crude laughter and back-thuds. As he turned, the heavy chains chattered loudly, restricting his movements. He didn't know how long he had been here, and he didn't know how long he'd have to stay.

There was no point anymore. In anything.

Eren's dull eyes found a square of cement wall that he liked to look at and stared at it in stagnancy, almost welcoming the despair overcoming him. He had laid here, staring the same four walls, for numerous days and countless nights.

He knew he had turned into a titan again, because the same head-splitting pain was within him when he woke up chained and alone in this cell. Yet he no longer cared about his future; nor did he care about the people coming to gawk and whisper about him from behind the safety of the iron bars. He no longer cared whether he lived or died. He just wished they would get on with it.

"Here you go, Mutant." Growled a voice from outside his cell. One of the guards was holding a plate of brownish food. He spat in it loudly before pushing it inside the bars. Laughing, he walked away.

Eren did not get up. They all called him that, though he didn't know what it meant. But he could guess from the tone it was muttered that it was nothing good. He was used to spit-covered food as well. It didn't matter either way, he hadn't eaten anything since his last meal shared with the man inside the little hut –

Eren squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to think about anything that had to do with the man. He felt stupid for thinking that Levi had actually cared – that Levi had grown attached to him like he did the man. Like the nuns in the orphanage, whose job was to care for the foster children, Levi's job had been to care for him specifically.

And he had done his job wonderfully.

Tears of bitterness and sorrow welled up, blurring his vision. Biting down on his lower lip, Eren raised one tiny fist and rubbed his eyes roughly. Soon, his stiff pillow was soaked through with his tears.

It was a good while before anyone stepped in front of his cell again.

Eren raised his head when he heard the perverted sniggers outside. He was a bit confused because he only received food once a day, and he had already received his.

A small group of guards stood outside the bars, leering at him. The hairs on the back of Eren's neck stood up as he saw the look on their twisted faces. The small boy gulped, dreading what was coming next.

Almost simultaneously, the guards undid their belts and let their pants fall to their ankles. Eren scooted away to the furthest corner of the cell, eyes round with fear at the ugly sight in front of him.

The guards cackled nastily and started to urinate into his cell, pissing all over the stone floor. Eren cried out in horror and revulsion at the abhorrent actions, unable to turn his eyes away.

The guards finished and, roaring with laughter at the look on the boy's face, left for their posts. The last guard lingered purposely, zipping up as slowly as he could. He came up right against the bars and squinted at the cowering child.

"I'll come back after my mead break, Mutant." He smirked in vulgar, "I'll save up for you."

Eren shivered as he finally walked away. He stared unbelievingly at where they all stood minutes ago, his chained wrists trembling in fright. He didn't know it was possible to be treated worse than he was the first time he was in this prison. He didn't know what to do, or how to feel. All he wanted was to go back home…

Fresh tears welled up when the boy realized he had no home. He couldn't remember the house he lived in with his parents anymore, as he never returned again after they died. The dungeons in the Survey Corps headquarters had hardly seemed like a home, though the company of the man had definitely made things better. And the orphanage he lived in with Mikasa and Armin had been stamped into bits after the titan attack… Eren bit his lip in angst as Armin's death flowed before his eyes… He hadn't been able to see the night sky in forever. In fact, he wondered if he would ever be allowed outside again.

Drowsily, the boy slipped into a restless sleep.

"…appreciate your speediness, Corporal. A shame everything turned out like this…What happened exactly?"

"I want to see him."

"You can see him during his trial. If he gets a trial, that is."

Distant voices reached Eren's ears, but he disregarded them.

"What do you mean 'if'? He deserves a fair trial as much as anyone!"

A female voice this time. Eren had never seen a female guard around here though…

"That all depends, girl. If Corporal Levi would be so kind as to let us know what happened, so we could make an informed decision…"

Eren's green eyes shot open. Did he just say…Corporal Levi? His Levi? He sat up straight, staring at the direction of the voices. Was Levi here, in the prison? Had he come for him, the boy?

"He was threatened, he turned, and Corporal Levi terminated the titan, like he was instructed to do!" Said Petra shortly.

"Is that so?"

"You may realize that the threat has been neutralized and in containment." Levi stated icily.

A humorless laugh. "Is that what he is, a 'threat'? Because it seems you're all very attached to him. Very…ah…_protective_."

"…Hardly." Came Levi's cold voice almost lazily, which Eren definitely recognized this time. "He is still my responsibility. It is my duty to see this through."

Eren's shoulders sagged. Of course. He was here because of his job, nothing more. The little hope that had dawned on him slipped away like fleeting wind. The light disappeared behind his eyes of aquamarine. He lied back onto the sad board that was his bunk and pulled the thin, frayed blanket over his chin.

"Very well, very well… Sign here to revert custody back to the Military Police, and I'll give you five minutes with the monster."

"Looks like I came back just in time, huh?" Snarled a familiar voice much closer. "A little gift for the Corporal…"

Eren pulled the blanket over his head, hoping to cover up the sound and the awful smell. He couldn't watch the vile action again. The sound of a zipper unzipping tore through the silence, accompanied by a dark chuckle. Eren trembled under the blanket, dreading what was coming.

Then a few dull thuds sounded, followed by a loud yet helpless yelp that sounded like a wounded animal. Finally, a sickening thump resonated throughout the empty hallway, and silence settled in.

Cautiously, Eren peered out from under the blankets, his eyes furtive. A small gasp escaped his lips as he witnessed the scene outside the bars.

There, under the dim candlelight, stood the man who looked more gargantuan than the tallest titan. He wore a look of murder on his thinned, deadpan face, and his glacial grey eyes stared straight at the boy. Underneath his foot, with his face pressed upon his own urine, was the guard that had promised to come back. He was wincing pathetically against Levi's boot.

"Did he touch you?" Levi asked malignantly.

Eren gaped quietly.

The toe of Levi's boot pressed down on the guard's cheek, forcing his face to rub against the odorous discharge.

"Did he?" He demanded again, pushing the scoundrel down harder with each syllable, "Did he hurt you?"

"N-No." Eren replied in a small voice.

"Good." Said Levi, wrinkling his nose in disgust. He surveyed the boy through the bars; he looked thinner and shabbier than Levi could ever remember. There was no blood in the sallow cheeks, no spark in the lifeless eyes, and no trace of faith in the youthful but beaten face.

The first time he had seen the boy had also been through bars like these, though it had been a completely different time. So much has happened that it seemed like that was a lifetime ago.

Levi's expression was hard to make out under the flickering lights. It had seemed so urgent, compulsive even, to see the boy. But now that he has, he realized he had no words for the cringing child.

None at all.

Eren sat there in the corner of forlorn cell, so small that he could disappear into the devouring walls behind him. Yet Levi could do nothing to rescue him from his fate. Promises were fruitless, for he could offer none. It seemed like he had come all this way just to disappoint the boy in person.

Levi turned away slowly, freeing the guard from his heel as he did so. He couldn't bring himself to look at the boy for one more second. It had been his fault that Eren was now imprisoned here, in this morbid cell of gloom.

"W-Wait!" Called the boy desperately to the retreating shadow of the man, "Can you – Can you take me with you?"

Levi froze. His naïve words were as powerful as a flood, drowning him out.

"Please!" Eren called again. He climbed off the stiff board clumsily and dragged the chains behind him as he ran towards the bars. "L-Levi!"

A small hand reached out beyond the bars and grabbed Levi's pant leg with all the force the child could carry out. His shaking fingers clamped against the fabric, as if refusing to accept the harsh reality. Caught in a stalemate, Levi had no choice but to turn around to face the tear-stained face behind the baleful irons.

There was a deep crease of worry on the man's otherwise handsome face. His long lashes camouflaged the concern at the bottom of his eyes. He lowered them until they rested on the trembling fingers of the child.

"…Hang in there." He finally said after an eternity, the only empty words he could speak. Then he cruelly snatched his leg from the boy's grasp and made for his way down the hall.

"Levi!" Cried Eren, his thin arm dangling helplessly between the bars, reaching out for his guardian angel that has flown far away, "Take me too! PLEASE!"

Yet the man walked on.

"Levi!"

Levi's pace did not falter as he disregarded the frantic calls.

"Levi – don't go – please –!" The boy started to cry earnestly at his departure, sobbing so hard that he could barely catch his breath, "_P-Please_!"

Levi closed his eyes so heavily that he could see red spots on his lids. The tips of his lean fingers were shaking slightly due to the agony he had repressed deep within. He walked on, listening to the inconsolable calls that grew weaker and weaker with each step he took, until all that could pierce him was ringing silence.

…

…

…


	19. Night

…

…

…

"Want some company, handsome?" Giggled the sultry maiden as she slid casually between Levi and Petra, "Some other company, I mean?" She wiggled her eyebrows meaningfully as she dipped her pinky into Levi's tea and swirled it around.

"Excuse me, we were in the middle of a conversation." Petra said hotly, her cheeks flushing light pink.

"Oh, run along, why don't you, little girl." Said the woman dismissively, "The grown-ups are talking."

She leaned in purposely, revealing more of her ample bosom, which were dangerously close to jumping out of her tight blouse.

"What do you say?" She purred as she lowered her ruby lips to brush against Levi's ear.

Levi shifted back so swiftly that she almost lost balance. Clutching the bar table to stable herself, she blinked in confusion.

"Leave." Said the man viciously, his face apocalyptic.

A chill went down her spine and she shuddered reluctantly. "I was just –"

"Now." He added in a low voice.

She gave a little start and hurried from the scene, desperate to escape him.

Levi rubbed his temple distractedly, returning to his conversation with Petra. He had a severe headache from lack of sleep and the turn of events. They had booked two rooms in a local tavern for the night and had hoped to discuss upcoming tactics quietly. There was no such luck, though, for the shabby inn was so crowded they could barely hear each other.

"All these people…" Levi muttered darkly.

"Yes, it's surprising." Petra agreed as a drunken man accidentally elbowed her in the back, "I would have thought it would be empty, given everything that had happened…"

"Don't you know?" Asked the young but nosy barkeep who was up to his neck in drink orders. He had a wide smile on his pimply face. "They're holding a trial for the titan-shifter next week, and people have been coming in from out of town to attend it!"

"Wh-What?" Stammered Petra, "That's not for the public!"

The bartender threw back his head and laughed, "But the execution is! How often do you get to see the beheading of a monster, eh? It's the talk of the century! Hey – The best mead for those who can score a front-row seat and tell us the recap!" He yelled to the room and was met with dozens of roars of approval as men slammed down their mugs on the tables.

"Corporal Levi, what do we do?" Asked Petra nervously, "If the trial's next week, and they're hiding it from us… then they must've already decided to execute him!"

"It's not over yet." Levi narrowed his slanted eyes. "There's still time."

Petra's anxiety did not wane. "But we can't stop it."

"Write to Erwin." Levi replied, his fingers clasped tightly around the porcelain cup of tea, "Immediately."

Petra took one look at his determined face and knew that he must have a strategy to overcome the whelming difficulty presented upon. "…Yes, Sir." She said obediently, standing up from her stool. She gave one final nod to the Corporal and raced for her room above the bar.

As her sleeve whipped out of sight, the china in Levi's hands exploded from the amount of force he exerted, spraying the area with bits of ceramic.

"Whoa, careful there!" Exclaimed the bartender as he wiped the counter clean with a dirty rag, "Quite a grip you got, mate."

Levi raised his cold glare from his bleeding fingers, "…Pack up some food for me."

…

…

…

It was the dead of night before the man set off for the prison once more, his harness strapped tightly around his thighs. He crept in the shadows, out of sight of anyone who might be looking out their window. It seemed to take him mere minutes to get to the prison that incarcerated the boy. He found the cell he was looking for at the highest floor with the maximum security.

Eyes scanning the perimeter, he located several guards patrolling the grounds. A few were on top of the walls as well, equipped with night binoculars. He watched for a few hours before finally summarizing the locations each guard stood at specific times and their range of inspection.

It was close to the break of dawn when one of the guards fell asleep on his post. Using this to his advantage, Levi slipped through unnoticed to the space directly under Eren's window, careful to stand in the blind spot so the guards atop the walls wouldn't see anything conspicuous.

He fired hooks to the bottom of the window and reeled himself upward, so he ran along the walls vertically, as if racing with the flames of the sun coming up from the mountains. Still in motion, he withdrew one blade and plunged it horizontally into the stone wall. Turning in the air, Levi used the blade as his footing and stepped up on it, kneeling down so his boots rested on the edge of the weapon.

"Eren." He called softly into the small window.

There was a disbelieving yelp, and a scramble of chains. Next thing he knew, the boy was peering through the slight opening, standing on his tiptoes.

"I brought you some food –" Levi jabbed several pieces of bread into the window. Instead of taking the food from the man, Eren grabbed his wrist in exhilaration with his tiny hands, shaking Levi's arm up and down so hard Levi almost lost his balance.

"You came back! You came back, Levi!" Eren squealed happily, laughing and crying at the same time, his juvenile words overthrowing the man. All the affliction the man had caused seemed to disappear for the boy, for he ceased to remember. The face bobbing in and out of sight was filled with nothing but pure delight.

"I – No – Eren – Keep your voice down." Levi scowled.

Eren stopped jumping up and down and blinked docilely at him.

"I don't have long. Eat those, keep yourself alive." Levi said quickly, "And when they bring you out for your trial, it is vital for you to –"

"Can't I leave with you now?" Asked Eren, the previous excitement leaving his face altogether.

"…No." Said Levi quietly, "You can't."

"Why? Please, Levi, I'll be good, I-I _promise!_" Eren was sounding teary. He couldn't bear being left here in this cell twice. He had thought Levi had come back to take him out of the prison. He never thought the man would merely come to deliver a message.

"Listen to me very carefully, Eren." Levi completely disregarded the boy's sobs. The sun had come up from behind the shadows, emitting a blinding blaze upon the horizon. "If asked, you must say you meant to transform, do you understand me?"

Eren sniffed woefully, "But I-I didn't."

"I know." Levi frowned impatiently. One of the guards was near the end of his patrol. Any second now, he was going to turn around and see Levi immobilized on the side of the wall like a spider. "But you must say you did it on purpose."

"But I d–"

"Promise me, Eren."

Eren stared into the frosty eyes full of resolution. He nodded compliantly, not really understanding the severity. Levi breathed out a small sigh of relief and detached the blade from the side of the wall, hanging on to the line from his hooks instead. He had to make his way down the wall within the next few seconds in order to avoid the gaze of the guard that was in the midst of turning around.

"W-Wait, don't go!" Eren cried. But before he could tighten his grasp on Levi's sleeve, the man had already wrenched his arm away so forcefully that Eren was thrown back onto his bunk. The boy fell with a hard thud on the wooden board, several of his chains tangling together. However, Eren did not even wince as he scrambled to get up again. He climbed up and squinted through the tiny window –

– Yet the man was nowhere to be seen.

Eren looked around madly, beside himself with derange. A small part of himself wondered if he had imagined the whole encounter. Had the man really come to see him? Or was he delirious from starvation? Green eyes darted across the grounds of the prison, yet all that met the eye were the guards on duty.

"Hey!" Snarled a voice, "Who're you talking to, Mutant?"

Eren gasped and hurriedly stuffed all the bread the man brought under the shabby blanket.

"I asked you a question!" Barked the guard that had come to his cell, pointing his rifle through the bars to aim at the boy.

"N-No one." Eren gulped.

The guard narrowed his eyes in suspicion but could do nothing to prove otherwise. He dawdled for a few minutes before leaving the boy be.

As soon as he left, Eren jumped for the window again. He searched and searched, but the man was nowhere in sight. Defeated, the boy slumped back into his dreary cell. His knee came into contact with a piece of cold bread the man had given him. Suddenly famished, Eren took several huge bites of the bread, his cheeks bulging with delicious food.

The memory of him and the man in the bazaar hit him like a blow to the stomach, and he froze in the middle of chewing. He remembered not so long ago when the man had let him choose a bread of his liking when he had thought the boy was hungry, and he remembered just how loved he felt… Large, pearly tears rolled down the boy's pale cheeks and into the dough still in his trembling hands. His mouth was still filled with food, muffling his cries.

He'd give anything – _anything_ – to go back to that moment, when he rested on the man's shoulders like a normal little boy, sharing a piece of bread with his warrior that had salvaged him from the gravest ruins of torment.

…

…

…


	20. Prosecution

…

…

…

The four stood together at the back of the courtroom, talking in quiet tones. Every single individual in the room was engrossed in their own conversations, discussing in whispers. The Wallists looked solemn yet maniac, their expressions hard to decipher. The scientists seemed arrogant, as if they knew something others didn't. Among them, Peter Montale was smirking, stealing glances at the Survey Corps. A few soldiers were close to the front of the room, talking in hushed voices with the presiding adjudicator about last-minute information. Levi recognized second lieutenant Chevell Babineaux and felt another tinge of foreboding. No one gave extra attention to the four Survey Corps officials standing near the back entrance.

The door close to them was pushed open, and the first witness was brought in in chains. Levi had anticipated this: it was Zoe Blighty. However, as the door opened, the rumbles from outside the courtroom sounded and echoed through the hollow hall, so loud that they pierced their eardrums.

"Kill 'im!"

"Yeah! Kill him!"

"Off with his head!"

Petra looked deeply troubled as she addressed the other three. Though they were her superiors, she did not hold back.

"We know their layout. We know where Eren is kept. And we know who has the key." She pressed urgently, hoping one of them would understand her reasoning.

"No." Said Levi tonelessly.

"But he'll lose, Corporal Levi!" Petra whispered, "You heard them outside – and in the inn too. The people want his head, and the authority is going to give it to them!"

Hanji caved slightly, "Petra's not wrong. We can still break him out."

"So he can spend the rest of his life in exile?" Levi asked back, "No."

"At least he'd have a life." Petra refuted.

She had never talked back to Levi before. This sudden sharp rebuttal took all of them by surprise. For a few moments, no one spoke. Then Levi's clear, cold voice rang through the uncomfortable silence.

"A life on the run, always looking over your shoulder, stealing food scraps to fill your stomach just to survive… …isn't a life."

The weight beyond those words was heavier than what the other three could endure.

Then Erwin cleared his throat in finality, "We have a well-thought-out strategy. We'll stick to it. But Eren is an invaluable asset; one that cannot be trusted to the authority." His icy eyes looked even colder than usual, "If it comes to it, we will do whatever is necessary to attain him, no matter the cost."

…

…

…

Peter Montale and Roger Riles gave calamitous testimonies. One indicated the unwillingness of Levi's cooperation with the standard experiments, while the other offered specific recordings of all the accounts where the Survey Corps violated regulations regarding Project Eren. Suddenly Levi was faced with obstruction and bias charges in addition to negligence. It almost seemed as if he was on trial rather than the boy.

Next came second lieutenant Chevell Babineaux, who gave evidence about Levi bringing an unauthorized figure to the training grounds and threatening him into keeping it quiet. Although Levi have expected these testaments, he had to admit that they put Eren's fate into a highly questionable state.

Finally, Zoey Blighty was brought in in chains. She no longer looked attractive. There were traces of trauma upon her face, her thin lips were cracked, and her usual sleek red hair was messy and lank. Her round, opal-like eyes darted across the room insidiously, as if searching for Levi.

The guards brought her to the front of the courtroom and pushed her down upon a chair facing the adjudicator. Levi felt Petra's arm twitch nervously beside him.

"State your encounter with the titan-shifter." Said the adjudicator.

Zoey looked at the authority figure high up in the stands and hurriedly averted her gaze. "I knew the Corporal brought a kid along, so I tailed them. The kid was only taken out at night secretly for some reason, so I knew something fishy was going on. On the last day, I threatened him with a knife, the kid I mean. …He turned into a titan on the scene and tried to attack me. He wrecked the entire cabin."

Whispers erupted as the last words left her mouth. Officials left and right started murmuring to each other at this barefaced description of transformation. Erwin, however, stood in silence as he digested her words.

…

…

…

_"She said 'the last few days.'" Levi said, "I'm sure of it."_

_"You think it's curious she only followed you for a few days?" Asked Erwin._

_"She wouldn't suddenly decide to follow me. Unless she received a new piece of information."_

_Erwin thought this over. "…Regarding Eren, you mean."_

_"Yes." Levi gave a small nod, "Someone must have tipped her off."_

_"Who, then?"_

_"Babineaux is the only one who knew. I was careful."_

_Erwin frowned. "It's a stretch, Levi."_

_"It's also our only lead." Levi replied. _

…

…

…

"Permission to question the witness, your Honor." Erwin said calmly, his voice ringing across the noisy courtroom. The adjudicator looked mildly surprised but gave a slight nod.

"Why did you threaten Eren Yeager?" Erwin asked clearly.

Zoey's eyes found Erwin and the shorter man standing next to him. Her upper lip curled into a sneer surreptitiously, "Why don't you save that for my trial?"

"Personal vendetta against Levi, perhaps?" Erwin asked again, disregarding her comeback.

Zoey stared at him long and hard before finally uttering a small nod.

"And why did you think threatening Eren Yeager would help your revenge?"

She scowled at him, resting her gaze now on Levi, "…I knew he cared about the kid."

"Your Honor, this is getting nowhere." Interrupted the Military Police procurator, "The point of this trial is to determine whether or not the titan-shifter is dangerous enough to execute."

"I think it's curious that a trainee knew about classified information regarding the existence of a titan-shifter." Erwin said quietly.

"I didn't know he was a titan!" Zoey Blighty shouted, hurriedly defending herself, "I just knew Corporal Levi brought a kid to camp!"

"Really?" Erwin said almost lazily, "And how did you know? It seems from the previous testimony that Eren was kept a secret from everyone."

"I –" Zoey's eyes bulged out. She hadn't realized this was a trap leading to this piece of vital information.

The procurator seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "That is neither here nor there." He said dismissively.

The adjudicator, however, looked intrigued. "Yes. How did you know?"

Zoey looked around helplessly, though no one came to her aid. Finally, she admitted the truth with a defeated voice. "…I was told by second lieutenant Babineaux."

From beside Levi, Petra let out a sharp sigh of relief. She had been holding her breath. 

"Why would he tell you? He doesn't manage your unit." Erwin pressed on. Upon the lack of reply, he continued in a steady pace, "Because you were…involved, perhaps?"

Zoey said nothing. From across the room, Babineaux's face turned paper-white.

The procurator jumped in quickly, "I don't see how this matters, really."

"It matters," Erwin explained, "Because second lieutenant just testified saying he was threatened by Levi, and was forced not to report to the authority about Eren Yeager's arrival due to fear for his life. Yet now we know that he's told his…companion about the kid, rendering his previous statement false."

More murmurs from those who followed his string of thought.

"Thus, I move that the court disregard second lieutenant's testimony altogether." Erwin finished.

"Seconded." Said Hanji, using her identity as lead scientist on Project Eren to the fullest.

The other side's procurator gawked at them almost stupidly, not daring to believe the turn of events. "This is – preposterous – I don't –"

Yet the adjudicator held up one large hand to silence him and directed his question directly to Babineaux. "Is this true, soldier?"

Chevell Babineaux saluted quickly with a pained expression on his ghastly face.

"…Yes, your Honor. I-I had an inappropriate relationship, but everything else I stated is true."

"Unfortunately, we have no means to prove it." Said Erwin softly.

The adjudicator seemed to agree, because he mentioned for the clerk to strike Babineaux's testimony from the record.

"This is all irrelevant!" Hissed the other procurator, "The facts are that the boy turned into a titan and did irreparable damage to the resources and induced severe injuries on civilians! The regulations clearly state that he be terminated if he transformed! I move for the court to implement his execution! Immediately!"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded –"

Multiple shouts from across the courtroom sounded.

"It would benefit you," Levi said coolly, his quiet voice bearing more magnitude than all the shouts added together, "to read the regulations carefully."

"I wrote the regulations, you insensible –"

"_Subject Eren Yeager must be terminated if turned into a titan without specific orders._" Recited Levi, talking over him.

The procurator laughed derisively, "Are you saying he acted on the authority's orders?"

"No." Replied Levi, his voice calm, "Mine."

"You? You instructed him to turn?"

"He's lying!" Zoey interrupted, "He's lying to all your faces! I was there, and he didn't instruct shit!"

Levi raised his assassinating stare to survey her, and Zoey shuddered involuntarily.

"Unfortunately, the words of a criminal, who has just admitted to the court of holding a personal vendetta against me, doesn't hold much credit."

Zoey gaped at him, her mouth forming a comic "o". She couldn't believe it – all the damning evidence given against Eren Yeager, and all had been nullified. She had known, for as long as she could remember, that Levi was a capable fighter. Strongest of all of humanity. She had never, even for a second, stopped to think that he would be as equally intelligent. He had set an elegant trap so inconspicuous that it seemed invisible to the naked eye, and she had walked straight into it.

The adjudicator silenced the court with another wave of his large hand. He looked intensively at the Survey Corps.

"You affirm that Eren Yeager transformed under direct orders?"

"Yes, your Honor." Erwin spoke up, "It is a project we have been conducting within the original project. We hoped to have Eren imprint on his guardian, Levi, so he would be prone to taking orders in the future. Hence, the special treatment he has received from Levi since arriving at the care of the Survey Corps, including temporary exemption from experiments. Mr. Montale and Mr. Riles have testified to that."

Montale and Riles looked dumbfounded. Never had they thought that their statements could be justified and used in an advantageous way for the Survey Corps. Without these affidavits, it almost seemed that Eren Yeager have done absolutely nothing wrong.

"You've been running an unauthorized project?" Asked the adjudicator.

"In order to potentially aid humanity, yes." Answered Erwin brazenly, "Eren provides unique benefits – a chance to revolutionize the war. If we were to succeed in training him, he could fight alongside us in titan form. The opportunities are endless, your Honor. Especially now that Levi have demonstrated it possible to extract him out of the titan's body – proving that the transformation can be reused and replicated. It would be foolish to terminate him out of fear."

Dead silence followed. Most people looked disbelieving, yet a few seemed captivated by this possibility.

"…Regrettably," Said the adjudicator after a long pause, "There is no evidence besides your word, Erwin."

"There's one more core witness that can speak to the truth, your Honor." Replied Erwin. His eyes swept the room, taking in all the faces looking intently upon him. "…Eren Yeager, who have been in solitary confinement since he transformed."

"With the exception of a visit from your Survey Corps soldiers!" Interjected the procurator, desperate now, "Probably to line up your statements! This is all set up!"

"A _supervised_ visit," Corrected Erwin. "By one of your guards, no?"

The procurator's jaw dropped open a few inches. He had not expected this.

There was another abeyance when the adjudicator confirmed this with the guard whose face Levi used to wipe the floor in front of Eren's cell.

Finally, he turned to face the court with new determination set in his lined face.

"Very well. Bring the boy in."

…

…

…


	21. Fate

…

…

…

"Up! Get up, Mutant!"

Eren flinched at the threatening tone and quickly sat up, chains clanging loudly against each other. He doesn't know how long it has been since the man had perched outside his sad little window and handed him food. It had long run out, and he had trouble sleeping for the last few days due to how hungry he was.

"Hands against the wall! We're coming in!"

Startled, Eren pressed his small hands upon the cold stone wall. It was always awful whenever someone came in his cell. Were they coming to beat him again? Or worse, kill him this time? The last time a few guards had come in, they hit him so severely that he passed out cold for hours before he came about again. Subconsciously, the boy shrunk back into the shadows.

Three guards came in, pointing their rifles at him. The one in the front grabbed Eren's collar roughly and flung him towards the direction of the hallway. Eren cried out as the heavy chains smacked against his thin calves painfully.

"Shut up!" Said the guard in the front, and he whacked Eren hard. The poor boy's head knocked into the iron bars with a loud clank. For a few seconds, he was so dizzy he couldn't even stand up. Then the same hand snatched a fistful of his hair and pulled him to his feet. The guard kicked him in the back violently, and Eren was pushed out of his cell.

"Hurry the hell up, we ain't got all day!"

The other two jabbed him hard in the back with the tip of their rifles, and Eren let out another sharp cry. Together, they forced him down the hallway and out the door.

Eren squinted his large emerald eyes at the sunlight pouring down on him. It had been ages since he had seen the sun, and he couldn't see anything except a blinding whiteness.

Then he heard it.

"There he is!"

"The monster!"

"Hang him! Hang him!"

"Yeah! Put him down!"

Eren staggered as the crude words reached his ears. Never had he thought he was so hated among the people… The youthful yet terrified face spun around to see the huge crowd of civilians gathered around the prison, waving their fists angrily and spitting towards him.

Then someone in the mass of people started it. Eren gasped as a pebble struck him on the shoulder. A sharp pang hit him. Suddenly, everyone was bending down to pick up rocks. A shower of stones flew in his direction, and Eren yelped as a particularly heavy one hit him on the side of his head, making him lose balance.

The guards were cowering too, unable to escape the wrath of the people.

"Watch it! Or we'll shoot all of you!" Yelled the guard in the front. Yet the rock-throwing did not subside. Finally, the guards gave up and hurried inside the courtroom, dragging Eren along by his chains.

Falteringly, Eren stumbled into the shaded courtroom. The maddening shouts of the commoners outside died down as the door closed behind him. Instead, pointed whispers emerged.

Eren looked up, blinking to adjust to the darkness. Rows and rows of scary and serious looking people stared down at him, their expressions unfriendly to say the least. Eren shuddered. He half-wished he was back inside his cell, for the presence of these people scared him more than the guards did.

The three that had been appointed to him pushed and dragged him to the middle of the courtroom, where a lonely stump stood. Before Eren could wonder what it was for, he was brutally hauled towards it and chained upon it with no means of escape.

The boy looked around helplessly, but no one had any intention to step up. They all looked as if this was perfectly normal. Were they going to come down one by one and hit him as hard as they could? Were they going to shoot him like this? Or cut off his head? So terrified of what was coming next, the boy squeezed his eyes shut.

"Eren Yeager, do you acknowledge the court?" Asked a booming voice.

Eren opened his eyes and looked around, but couldn't see the source of the voice.

From across the room, Levi watched the boy in exasperation as he whipped his head around wildly: he was looking everywhere but behind him, where the adjudicator sat.

"He's too young, your Honor." Petra offered sympathetically, unable to stay quiet any longer at the sight of the poor boy. "He doesn't really understand the process."

"Control your soldiers, Erwin," The adjudicator replied coldly, "To not interrupt in my court."

Erwin gave a deferential nod, and Petra blushed slightly at her own insolence.

However, Eren had heard her and looked their way, a clear look of disbelief on his sunken face. He couldn't believe his eyes – it was Petra! Petra had come! Next to her stood Erwin and Hanji, who were also here! And on her other side was –

His jade green eyes widened, and he closed them, shook his head slightly, and opened them again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

On her other side was the man, standing nonchalantly among the mass of soldiers, his arms crossed and his face blank of emotions.

Eren's trembling lips parted slightly. He didn't understand entirely what was going on, but Levi was here – Levi wouldn't let them take him again, would he? Levi wouldn't let the crowd outside kill him…right? Everything will be okay now, wouldn't it? Because Levi was here…

The boy was staring at Levi so keenly that even the other soldiers standing next to Levi could feel the infiltrating gaze. They looked from Eren to Levi curiously, pondering their relationship.

"Eren Yeager," The adjudicator started again, this time speaking words the boys could understand, "Did you turn into a titan purposely?"

Eren jumped at the voice. He stole another look at the man, who did not seem to notice his existence, and swallowed hard.

"Y-Yes." The boy finally squeaked out. More murmurs occurred at his answer. The people on the stands looked shocked yet slightly impressed.

"Under direct orders?"

The man had not told him how to answer that question.

"Um –" Said Eren, unsure. He desperately wished Levi could give him some kind of signal, but the man remained immobile.

Eren gulped again and inhaled deeply, hoping to chase away the fear swimming in his stomach.

"…Yes?" He quipped, looking completely lost.

Up on the stands, the man breathed out slowly, feeling the tension leave his shoulders. For a second, he had thought the boy would blow the entire operation.

"I see." The adjudicator said gradually and turned his attention to the Survey Corps, "I admit, Erwin, I was leaning towards granting amnesty, but upon seeing Eren Yeager, I must conclude that he is in fact too young to conscientiously understand your philosophy on revolutionizing the war, deeming your training with him futile. Therefore, an execution –"

Levi's blood ran cold.

"– will be held on the first hour of –"

"Wait!" Hanji called almost hysterically. "We have a failsafe!"

"His Honor has already decided upon a death row!" Snapped the procurator.

The adjudicator did look immensely annoyed now. Yet he allowed Hanji to continue. "Elaborate, then."

"We've been working on an inhibitor that can hinder his titan-powers." Hanji said hurriedly, grasping for straws, "If his Honor thinks Eren is too young right now, we can continue his training of conscientiously shifting to titan form when he's old enough to understand. The other scientists can prove that I'm telling the truth – they have my research."

"Is this inhibitor complete?" The adjudicator addressed Montale and Riles instead.

"No, your 'onor." Montale piped up quickly, "Not even close."

Riles nodded fervently by his side.

"Then I see no need to –"

"_Wait!_" Hanji interrupted again, "It's in an initial stage but it's very promising!"

"Your Honor," Erwin pressed gently. "Think of the possibilities if we have a titan on our side." The statement had come at the most opportune moment, bringing light upon the situation. His calculated tone was calm, yet highly persuasive.

The adjudicator considered this for a long while, during which no one else spoke again. The boy that knelt in the middle of the room looked left and right, not knowing what was happening; not having a clue that his fate was being sealed right this second…

"How long would you need to complete this inhibitor?"

Hanji's eyes lit up. "A year or two, your Honor."

"I will give you three months." The adjudicator replied, "If you can't provide a functioning inhibitor by then, Project Eren will be terminated, along with its host."

"But –"

"Understood, your Honor." Erwin cut across Hanji's struggles purposely.

Angry mutters along the stands were like buzzing bees, all displeased at the outcome. They couldn't believe the titan-shifter had been given an extra three months to live – and potentially a lifetime, for that matter.

"Your Honor!" Cried the procurator, "Surely this isn't the most prudent –"

"I have made my decision." Said the adjudicator with a note of finality, "However, we shall settle one final matter before we disassemble."

Even before he had stated so, Levi had felt deeply agitated. No sense of amelioration had overcome him, for he knew there was no way any of them would get off without repercussions.

"The Survey Corps have disregarded direct orders and violated regulations." The adjudicator announced in his impressive voice, "You have made a mockery of this court, and of the authority."

His wrinkled eyes analyzed the Survey Corps officials, giving additional inspection over Levi.

"…There are consequences."

Levi had been waiting for this. Slowly, he uncrossed his arms. As he did, Petra made a small unconscious movement forwards, as if hoping to stop him. From her other side, Erwin grabbed her wrist and shook his head very slightly.

Levi took off his Survey Corps jacket and draped it across the rails on the stands. Without warning, one large yet disfigured hand grabbed the banister and pushed himself over the stands and into the courtroom below, landing expeditiously on the lowered marble floor.

He walked with purpose towards the center, where the boy knelt chained to the stump. As he walked, his lean fingers undid the buttons on his crisp, light gray shirt. The observers watched mutely as he deliberately undressed, keeping the same imperturbable expression on his darkened face. He folded his shirt, his harness, and ascot carefully, revealing his bare torso, which was muscular yet severely scarred.

Eren watched in confusion as the man slowly strode towards himself. The boy did not notice the clerk leaving for the adjacent room under the adjudicator's instructions. Brisk green eyes followed the man's every movement, yet the man did not meet his gaze. Finally, Levi knelt down on one knee next to Eren, exposing his marred back to the entire courtroom.

The clerk came back with a long, sharp, object in his hands, and Eren recognized it straight away. Suddenly realizing what was about to happen, Eren yelled out in shock.

"No!" His childish voice was torn.

He couldn't understand why no one else was yelling. Why were they all okay with this – even Petra and Hanji and Erwin? Why were they just standing there doing nothing? Why weren't they racing down here to stop this?

The clerk walked closer and closer, the red-hot poker in his hands raised like a weapon. Levi's straight black hair fell over his face, eclipsing his eyes. Eren watched in horror as the clerk looked down upon the maimed back of the man, then aimed the blazing iron baring the King's crest onto the man's left shoulder.

"No – !" Eren cried out, yet he remained the only one that did so. Levi's jawline tightened as the irons marked him but remained dispassionate otherwise. The pungent smell of sizzling flesh was sickening, and the boy gagged a little.

Then the clerk removed the poker, and the man stood up swiftly as if nothing had happened. Picking up his clothes, he put them on one by one as if he hadn't just been burned by the scorching metal.

"Paid for." He said quietly, adjusting his ascot while looking up at the adjudicator, "In full."

The adjudicator surveyed Levi carefully. There was a long pause as he watched Levi put on his harness across his shoulders.

"…Indeed." He finally said, a hint of respect in his deep voice, "Court adjourned."

…

…

…


	22. Scars

…

…

…

Eren couldn't believe it. The scary looking adults in the stands were packing up their things and leaving in an orderly fashion. The judge that had asked him the questions was adjusting his judicial robes, preparing for his next trial. The guards had come forward reluctantly and took off his chains.

As the rusted metals fell from his wrists and ankles, Eren felt lighter than he had in ages. He stared incredulously at his tiny hands, not comprehending anything.

Was he…free?

"Eren." Said a stern voice. "Are you coming or not?"

Eren jerked his head up disbelievingly, blinking at the man whose jacket was oozing a small dark blood-stain in the back. The sun was close to setting, and a reddish glow shot through the cracks in the windows. The man stood in the white light, and his spirit was blinding.

"Are you?"

The boy nodded so hard that his head bobbled up and down. Hurriedly, Eren ran towards the figure he had dreamed of for so long, not trusting himself to speak. As the man turned and walked towards the door that led to freedom, Eren struggled to catch up with him. Without even thinking it through, Eren held out a small hand and grabbed the man's index finger with all his might.

Levi faltered ever so slightly. Surprised, he looked down at the small fist closed upon his lean fingers. Suddenly he couldn't even feel the stinging pain on his shoulder. Though stiffened, the man did not snatch his hand out of the boy's grasp. A thin ray of light was just visible through the gap between the heavy oak doors, and together, the pair walked in solitude towards the bedazzling twilight.

…

…

…

"There he is –"

"Attack! Don't let him get off – attack!"

Outraged shrieks greeted them as soon as they set foot out of the courtroom, and the guards made no attempts to stop the furious civilians. Stones of all sizes were flung in their direction, aiming solely at the small child in the middle.

Eren had feared this. He recoiled, tugging on Levi's hand as he did. However, the man bent down, swiftly scooped him up, and walked in long strides towards the stationary carriage at the side of the street. Eren opened his eyes but could only see the fabric of the man's jacket up close. He was protected in the warm embrace that was Levi, and he felt the strong arms around him convulse as rocks hit them. He didn't know how many times the man was struck, yet the arms that entwined him within never wavered.

The noisy shouts died away, and the man's heartbeat was all he could hear, and frankly, it was all that mattered.

…

…

…

The trip back to the Survey Corps headquarters was as smooth as can be. Eren was still stunned that he had been allowed to go back with Levi at all. He hadn't understood what happened, yet he knew it had something to do with Levi, and definitely something to do with the fresh scar he now bore on his back.

A few times, the boy opened his mouth, only to hastily close it again. He didn't know how to express himself anymore. The mood in the carriage was also grave: though a win for the Survey Corps, each of them had a look of staidness on their solemn faces. Eren didn't dare break the silence.

Finally, they arrived back at headquarters in the middle of the night. The four hurried out, as if rushing towards a common goal. They reached a small, empty room and piled inside.

"I'll get the scalpel." Said Hanji, to which Erwin nodded to curtly.

"Medical alcohol, Petra." He instructed.

"Yes, Sir." Petra replied quickly. She paused on her way out the door and rested her kind eyes on the boy, who was standing awkwardly near the entrance, unsure of what to do. "I'll take Eren to his room." She offered gently.

"No." Levi denied coldly. "He stays."

"Corporal Levi!" Petra looked aghast, "He's a child!"

"He's seen worse." Said Levi, and he begun to undress yet again in the same process he did in the courtroom, "He needs to understand. Let him stay."

Petra hesitated, then nodded solemnly at his words. As she and Hanji went to retrieve the respective items, Levi picked up a wooden chair and swung it backwards so he could rest his arms on the back of the chair, exposing his mangled back to the others.

Eren gasped as he saw the ugly, distorted wound made by the hot irons back in the courtroom. It seemed to stare straight at him, and he couldn't look away no matter how hard he tried.

At long last, Petra and Hanji returned. Eren watched in terror as Erwin handed Levi a thick cloth. Instead of using it to wipe something, like Eren had expected, Levi put it between his teeth and bit down hard on it. The boy was confused until he saw Petra dabbing medical alcohol carefully on the fresh wound. Although Levi made no sound, his back shuddered uncontrollably, and Eren could only imagine how painful it was.

Then Hanji came forward, scalpel in hand. She pushed her glasses up her nose and started to cut away at the scab. Eren cried out as he witnessed Hanji cut off a piece of the man's flesh. Utterly horrified now, the boy backed away against the wall. He watched and watched until Hanji finished her work, patched Levi up, and stood up straight again to wipe her brows of sweat.

The boy did not move as the man staggered up and started to dress tenderly. When Levi turned around, Eren found his face to be ghoulishly white, so pale that he almost seemed invisible.

It must have been extreme agony to undertake what the man just did. Eren couldn't even begin to imagine it. All he knew for sure was that through the sheer pain of it, the man had not uttered one single word.

…

…

…

"…Levi?" Eren asked in a tiny voice.

They had returned to the dungeons where they used to sleep in; Eren on the twin bed with the chains, Levi on the one across from him. The boy had tried to sleep but couldn't. Although Levi appeared to be asleep, Eren couldn't keep down the question gnawing at him any longer. He had been working up his courage to speak for the past half an hour, finally uttering a single call for the man.

"Mm?" The man replied without opening his eyes. He was leaning against the wall in a sitting position, his arms crossed. His handsome face was still deathly pale, and his thin lips were very white.

"Why did…Hanji…cut you?" Eren asked quietly.

The grey eyes opened slowly and scrutinized the boy from across the room. The voice that followed was bitter and merciless.

"Do you understand what they did in the courtroom?"

Eren peered at the man intently, "…They hurt you."

"No." Corrected Levi, "They branded me. It is perpetual, and the highest dishonor."

The boy tilted his head to the side, pondering this, "So…you cut it off?"

"Yes."

"But doesn't that hurt…more?"

Levi did not answer immediately. Rather than annoyance, he felt another sense rushing through him. He couldn't remember the last time the boy had asked him a question like this, and he realized he didn't mind.

"Physical pain is a small price to pay for a clean soul." He said quietly.

Eren blinked a couple of times, and to Levi's astonishment, burst into tears.

"It's all – all because of me, isn't it?" The boy hiccupped as large tears rolled down his shrunken cheeks, moistening his long lashes.

"…Don't cry." Levi frowned.

"But it's m-my fault!" Wailed the boy softly.

"No. It was my choice." Levi said adamantly, "Eren, if you start regretting every decision you make, you will forget to live."

The boy stopped crying and blinked at him again, trying very hard to understand what he was saying.

Levi heaved a deep sigh. His tone softened as he gestured for the boy, "…Come here."

Obediently, Eren rolled off his bunk and climbed into Levi's arms, nestling himself in the man's embrace. He nuzzled against the man's shirt and breathed in deeply of the scent of medical alcohol and faint blood.

"…Is it all over now?" Murmured the boy.

"Yes."

"So I can stay here?" Asked Eren again, his voice hopeful, "With you?"

Levi gazed down at the top of the boy's head almost sadly. The adjudicator's final offer rang in his ears like a foghorn, yet he blocked them out in determination.

"…We'll see."

"But I don't wanna go again." Moaned the boy.

"I know." The man said somewhat gently.

"When will you know for sure if I can stay?" Eren pressed, though his eyelids were starting to droop due to drowsiness.

"Soon."

"How soon is soon?"

Levi patted the boy softly on the back, "…Soon."

"But…" Eren stifled a small yawn, "How long is that…?"

Levi didn't answer, for the boy had finally drifted into a restless sleep. The large hand that had been patting the boy on the back did not pull away. In fact, it was calming to have the boy curled up on him, resting his small cheek upon his chest.

He must admit, despite everything, it was good to have his kid back.

…

…

…


	23. Love

…

…

…

Eren woke up screaming.

It was so shrill that it speared Levi awake, and for a second he thought the worst. Anxious eyes searched the boy's face, but it appeared that the boy had not waken at all. He screamed and screamed, but his eyes were closed.

Levi watched as the unconscious boy thrashed around in bed, cold sweat dripping off his face.

"Eren. Eren, wake up."

But the boy would not wake.

The shrieks carried on, tearing away at his flesh, a sound more terrible than anything he had ever heard. Levi stood up, gazing down at the boy unsurely, his strong arms hanging uselessly at his sides.

Again, the man bent down to shake those thin shoulders, yet it was moot. The child inhaled deeply, and started screaming again, twitching horribly.

Levi got up and made a beeline for Hanji's dorm on the upper floors. He took the stairs three at a time and jumped over the second-floor balcony. Finally, he arrived outside Hanji's door and knocked it straight off its hinges.

"Jesus!" Exclaimed Hanji, sitting up in the dark.

"Shut it and come with me."

"Levi?" She asked groggily, picking up her glasses from the nightstand and jamming it onto her face.

"Hurry." Glowered Levi.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming…" Hanji grumbled as she climbed out of bed. Pulling on her jacket over her pajamas, she followed Levi back to the dungeons. Even from afar, they could hear the incessant screams.

Hanji looked at Levi in apprehension, "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." Frowned Levi, and he walked quicker still, "I can't wake him, and he won't stop screaming."

Hanji frowned as well as she burst into the small room after Levi. Eren was still lying in bed, the thin blankets wrapped around him like a snake. His hair was drenched with sweat.

Anxiously, Hanji pried open Eren's eyelids to look at his pupils. They were dilated. His pulse was also racing. Before she could do anything else, the screaming stopped as abruptly as it had started.

"What did you do?" Asked Levi, who was standing behind her shoulder, a look of deep concern shadowed in his cold eyes.

"Nothing." Replied Hanji, "He just stopped."

Both of them stared intently at the boy, who was breathing heavily but sound asleep, one small fist clenched around a corner of his blanket, his wet hair plastered to his pale face.

Hanji pushed her glasses with the tip of her fingers, "He'll be okay. I think it's just night terrors."

Levi did not reply. He did not care what night terrors were, as long as it was curable. He sat down next to Eren and wiped the sleeping child's sweaty face with a piece of handkerchief somewhat roughly.

"It makes sense. He's been through a lot." Hanji continued. "Prison can't have been a treat; he was probably knocked around quite a bit. Not to mention the starving and torturing and –"

"I don't give a shit what caused it." Levi said darkly, and Hanji stopped at the look on his face. "Just tell me how to stop it."

"…I never thought I'd say this, Levi." Hanji said mildly, pleasantly surprised, "But you're acting like…"

"Like what?" Asked Levi sharply, his tone dangerous.

Hanji grinned sheepishly, not sure if she dared to finish the end of her sentence. At last, she shrugged at him, "A father. A protective one, too."

The slanted, frigid eyes narrowed into slits, and Hanji threw up her hands in defeat before he could say anything.

"Okay, okay, do you want to know how to stop it or what?" She asked good-naturedly, changing the topic.

"…Just tell me." He scowled.

"Try waking him up frequently throughout the night so he doesn't drift into deep sleep. Don't try to wake him when he's in the middle of an episode – I'm not sure that'll do any good. And I guess…soothe him in any way you can."

Levi frowned at the last few words, "Soothe him?" He repeated. None of this seemed like actual medical treatments in his opinion.

"Well, night terrors are mostly psychological." Hanji said, secretly enjoying the expression on Levi's face, "Reassuring him might reduce the level of trauma and stress."

"And how do I…" Levi frowned again, hating every single second of this, "…reassure him?"

Hanji's grin spread wider. She seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. As she walked out of the door, she patted Levi lightly on the shoulder.

"Lots of love, of course."

Levi looked murderous.

…

…

…

Levi was in a bad mood all week. Not only did the fresh scar on his back stab at him from time to time, the experiments Hanji are conducting day and night on the inhibitors were going nowhere without its host – Eren was still too weak to participate in them. On top of that, the sleep terrors have not stopped.

He had tried, to the best of his ability, to be "reassuring". However, he had never known how to be attentive, and had no clue whatsoever how to ease the boy. He detested it – the feeling of being useless. He had slain monsters, yet now a trembling child who never ceases to have nightmares have utterly stumped him.

_Lots of love…_ Levi thought disdainfully. It would have been easier if Hanji had said a new kidney was the cure. At least he'd know how to give it. It was easy for her to brush off night terrors as a minor condition, _she_ didn't listen to the boy shriek in agony continuously; _she_ didn't go to bed each night wondering if the boy would have terrible nightmares that couldn't be alleviated; _she_ didn't see how white the boy's face looked, or how cold the boy's skin was…

Levi suddenly remembered how Hanji had said he was acting like a protective father figure, and his mood turned for the worse. Scowling hard, he accidentally broke off a piece of wood off a chair's handle from scrubbing too hard: he had been cleaning the room to take the edge off.

A few feet away from him, Eren yelped at the noise. Round green eyes found the broken wood splinter on the floor and the lethal look on Levi's face, and the boy gulped. Levi was angry, but he didn't know why. He had been dusting as carefully as he could, but he couldn't help wondering if the man was mad at him for doing such a poor job.

Hurriedly, the boy grabbed the broomstick that was way too big for him and clumsily swept at an already clean spot. He worked laboriously, but in exceedingly slow motions due to his small size. When he finally almost poked Levi's eye out with the end of the broomstick, the man snatched it away from him.

"That's enough." Levi said sharply.

Eren twisted his small hands with his head bowed, looking very helpless. "…Sorry." He said in a tiny voice.

Looking at the boy, Levi realized that he had, again, been too harsh with him. Somehow, the more Hanji urged him to be loving, the harder he found it to be. Taking a deep breath, Levi cleared his throat before addressing the boy again.

"Good job today, Eren." He said stiffly. "Well done."

It was the best he could do in being reassuring.

Eren jerked up his head to gaze up at the man, "Really?" He asked in sincerity.

"Yes." The man affirmed, "Thanks for…your help."

A small smile broke across the boy's faded face. He took a step closer to Levi subconsciously, as if hoping to close the distance between them so he could hug the man, but tripped at the last second.

Levi's fast reflexes allowed him to bend down and grab hold of Eren's forearm before he stumbled face first onto the pile of dust that had been swept together.

However, the boy came shockingly close to the ashes and inhaled quite an abundant amount inside his chest. Eren squeezed his eyes shut as they watered – he wanted to hold it back but he couldn't – it was building inside him –

"_Achoo!_" The boy sneezed into the dust.

Eren sniffed a couple of times and wiped his face and nose with his sleeve. He was surprised to find it covered in soot. Suddenly realizing something, the boy raised his head in grave fright. In front of his eyes was the kneeling man, his entire face, chest, and arms in the same soot that covered the boy.

Eren felt something lodged in his throat and gulped hard. "S-Sorry." He squeaked.

He could feel the storm coming. Through the ashen face glowed the furious eyes of the man, his upper body almost shaking in anger and repulsion of the dirt.

The boy quickly snapped his eyes shut. However, seconds passed and nothing happened. Slowly, Eren opened one eye a sliver to carefully peer at the man. He was still in the same kneeling position, though he looked as if he was struggling with himself.

Finally, a forced voice of nonchalance sounded.

"…It's fine." Said the man through gritted teeth. Each word seemed to take an immense amount of effort. "We'll…just…take a bath."

…

…

…

Levi scrutinized the boy's bare back in concentration. The days in the prison had done its toll on Eren – he was even skinnier than before. The bones from his spine poked out obviously. The small torso was also filled with bruises from the chains, black and purple all over.

The kid didn't notice though. He was happily playing with the bubbles in the wooden tub. Eren grabbed at them delightfully, and giggled softly every time a bubble popped, his small body shaking in fits.

Levi's mood was in stark contrast with Eren's. A million thoughts were racing through his mind as he contemplated what Eren had been through during his imprisoned time to cause these nightmares and those terrible screams.

"Eren." The man called quietly.

Eren immediately recoiled and shrunk back, afraid of angering the man. He sat still and hung his head as Levi roughly scrubbed his hair clean of dust.

"No, you don't have to stop." Levi said.

Eren brightened and turned around to face Levi, leaving Levi's hands to hang in midair.

"Do you want to play?" He asked eagerly.

"… …" Levi froze. It was not a question he had ever been asked, and truthfully, he did not know how to answer.

Eren did not wait for him. The small hands grabbed the large ones, and plunged them into the warm water to scoop up a handful of bubbles. The boy then took a breath so deep that his ribcage became visible, and bulged out his cheeks as he blew as hard as he could into the white foams.

Bubbles flew up in all directions, a particularly large one reflecting the scene below: a child filled with yearning, and a man stunned into silence.

As a bubble popped near Levi's nose, splattering them with soapy drips of water, Eren laughed.

Levi's eyes widened in the slightest. He had never heard the kid laugh before, and it was a sound like no other. The childish laughter was like a sweet tune of music, carried out by the most delicate instrument, dancing around the room, bouncing off the walls, until it had emitted all the happiness it could…

He had never known laughter to be like this.

"…Are you happy here?" He asked quietly when he found his voice. It suddenly seemed imperative to know the answer.

Still grinning, Eren nodded. "Are you?" He asked back.

Again, the simple words of a child rendered the man speechless. Happiness was a foreign substance to him, something he had not strived to find. There had always been another task at hand. Another mission. Another expedition. He had obligations to fulfill, and in addition, the burning will of others that have died to further the cause. He had never considered the condition of being happy. In fact, he wasn't sure if he had ever been happy.

In the end, he decided to gloss over the question as though he hadn't heard it and focus instead on the matter at hand.

"Yet you're still having nightmares." He said calmly.

Eren's face fell. The boy didn't speak, but merely turned away so he wouldn't face Levi. His bony back was hunched feebly. The boy hugged his knees and rested his chin on his arms.

"It won't be like this forever." Levi pressed on, "Once you're well enough, the experiments have to start."

"…Why?" Murmured the boy.

Levi sighed, "Because we have to make sure you don't turn again. Or else they will take you away." He bit back on the "_indefinitely_".

"But I didn't mean to!" Eren whirled around, splashing water everywhere.

Levi looked exasperated. "…I know."

"Can't you – can't you stop them?" The boy asked earnestly, his eyes filled with hope.

Levi stared into them for a while before breaking eye contact. "Physically, yes. Politically, though…"

"What's poly-tea-callie?"

Levi merely started scrubbing the boy's hair again, though his actions softened. The kid was dumb, clumsy, and incredibly ignorant of everything in occurrence. He was volatile and unstable; happy for one second, and crying the next. He had so many emotions that Levi was surprised he didn't simply burst from them. Yet however weak the child was, he possessed something so powerful that it had chased away the most horrendous demons residing inside the man.

"…Nothing that concerns you, Eren."

"So what do I do?" Asked the boy as he squeezed one eye shut. The soap had run down one side of his face due to the man's inexperience in giving baths.

"Just be a kid." Levi replied. "Be happy."

…

…

…


	24. Departure

…

…

…

"Still no?" Asked Levi lowly, his arms crossed in front of him.

Hanji shook her head as she took off her glasses to wipe them clean. She looked at the stats sadly before directing her concerns, "He's been malnourished for too long. There's just no way he can hold up under experiments."

Levi looked over her shoulder at the young child sitting docilely on the lab table, waiting for whatever injection issued to him. He was staring at the Levi hopefully. As soon as the green eyes found the grey, he brightened and peered even harder.

"And…we're running out of funds, Levi." Hanji grimaced, "The authority is not giving us additional resources for this."

"What does he need?"

"All kinds of vitamins for one thing, then calcium…magnesium…"

Levi raised his eyes, "I have money saved up."

He had always saved up, not because it was the sensible thing to do, but because he didn't see the need for materialistic purchases. His everyday needs and necessary weaponry were fulfilled by the military, and that was all his life had been.

"It's not just that." Hanji frowned, "The entire population is on the verge of starvation, Levi. People can hardly fill their stomachs. There's nowhere to buy supplements even if we had funds."

Levi turned his attention back to her and uncrossed his arms, "There must be," He said coldly, "Or we won't be having this conversation."

A small smile appeared on Hanji's exhausted face, "…Well, aren't you sly. I've heard that…the underground black-market deals these."

Subconsciously, Levi's eyes narrowed. He hadn't thought he'd ever go back there again. He had thought he had left that place behind forever. Never would he had imagined he would be returning for the wellbeing of a kid.

"…Done." He stated.

Hanji murmured something along the lines of being careful, but Levi heard no more. He gestured for the boy to come, and Eren immediately jumped off the table and ran towards him.

The colors brightened where Eren touched, and the bleakness that was the dingy lab faded away a little. To the man, this split second; this fraction of time, was worth everything else they had endured together.

…

…

…

Eren woke up with his head on the man's forearm. The nightmares have subsided, and he was sleeping well again for the first time in a long time. For once in his life, he had some sort of stability, and he savored it as much as he could.

If only he could wake up like this every day, he'd be so happy…even if they had to do all sorts of experiments on him. Although come to think of it, they hadn't really done anything to him since he came back except to measure his height and weight. Eren didn't know why, but he enjoyed it all the same. Yet before he could relish the morning air, a sharp rap came at the door, and immediately, Levi had gotten up to answer it. The swift withdrawal of his arm made Eren's head knock back against the thin mattress, distorting the boy momentarily.

As Eren groggily sat up, rubbing the back of his head, he heard murmured voices in the hallway, both urgent and heated.

"…don't know how long it'll be there." Whispered Hanji.

Levi murmured something back, but all Eren heard was "at once".

When Levi retreated back into the room, his face looked set. Seeing that the boy was awake, he wasted no time in unnecessary commentaries.

Kneeling down in front of Eren so they were eye-level, Levi addressed the boy like an adult, "Eren. I'm leaving for a mission."

"Can I come?"

Levi stiffened. The yearning in those crystalized eyes were tangent, and it pulled at him harder than he thought was possible.

"…No." He said softly, "You have to stay here."

Eren's face fell. He picked at the edge of the sheets absentmindedly, swinging his legs. "So…when are you coming back?" He asked, talking to his feet instead of the man.

"When I can." Replied Levi. "Petra and Hanji will take care of you while I'm gone."

Eren's small mouth scrunched up into a pout. His thick brows furrowed together into a frown as he stared harder at his feet. "…But I wanna come with you." He muttered in a tiny voice.

"You can't. It'll be dangerous."

"Then you shouldn't go either!" Eren cried, jerking his head up. He didn't understand why Levi always had to leave…always. And he was terrified that one of those times would be the last time.

Levi stared into the boy's flushed face expressionlessly. He didn't want to leave Eren alone either, not when his nightmares have finally started to clear up. But this was an opportunity he couldn't risk to forsake. Hanji had finally managed to locate a temporal opening to the underground, but there was no guarantee how long it will remain there. He needed to get those supplements for Eren regardless of how low the possibilities were. He needed the boy to be in good enough shape for the tests. He needed Hanji's experiments on the inhibitor to work before the deadline. He needed the authority to let the boy live, so that he could have a normal life like a normal kid… He needed it desperately like he needed air.

Heaving a light sigh, Levi swallowed back the overbearing pressure. He ruffled the boy's hair lightly without acknowledging his frantic concerns.

"…Be good, Eren."

The boy turned away, his youthful face scrunched up in discontent. But as unhappy as he was, he still nodded compliantly at the man's words.

Levi patted him once again on the head before standing up. Eren watched as the man packed only bare essentials and dressed for his mission. This didn't seem titan-related since Levi did not pack his gear. Did this mean the mission was something like training cadets again? If so, why couldn't Levi bring him? Was it because he caused so much trouble the last time he was brought along…?

Eren chewed the inside of his lip as Levi gave Hanji last-minute instructions on how to maintain him. He furiously debated his choices in his mind.

Levi felt fuddled as he made for the heavily guarded front gates. Ever since the trial, security had doubled, no doubt keeping a closer watch on Eren now. And somehow, leaving Eren behind while he embarked on his past to the underground world didn't seem like a good sign. A small part of him wondered if he would even make it out alive, but then he reminded himself what was at stake, and pure determination overpowered any potential doubt.

The guards nodded to him as he stepped out of the gates, yet mere seconds later, all guns were raised as the entire security team pointed it directly at the small figure conspicuously following Levi.

Levi swung around, slanted eyes widening in surprise at the terrified boy stood frozen among weapons. Anger and fear exploded inside him, for he knew all guards were given instructions to shoot on sight at the slightest sign of violation on Project Eren.

Calmly yet hurriedly, Levi walked back to the boy and stood directly in front of him, hiding Eren from view while facing the sharp ends of the deadly weapons himself.

"Quickly, Eren." He said nonchalantly.

"Corporal, sir, we're under strict orders not to let the test subject leave the premises." One of the guards said.

"I'm in acquirement of supplements to ensure his eligibility in experiment participation. It's in the written report I have submitted to the authority."

The guard looked dubious. "But, sir, we weren't aware you'd be taking the test subject with you."

Levi raised his eyes coldly and surveyed him, "I'm the only one that has managed to hold him down, aren't I? Would you really rather he be left alone here?"

The guards exchanged looks.

Without waiting for a reply, Levi laid a large hand on Eren's back, which was moist with cold sweat, and guided him forwards.

"Walk." He whispered urgently to the boy.

Eren inhaled sharply, stumbled, and quickly picked up his pace.

The guards watched as the man and the boy walked over the threshold of the gates and disappeared into the woods. They didn't want to acquiesce the departure of the titan-shifter, but they didn't want him here in headquarters either – not when they were here too. In the end, they merely let the pair leave.

As Levi made sure they weren't within eyesight or earshot of the guards anymore, he grasped Eren's wrist and swung him around. The boy yelped in surprise and trepidation as he almost lost his balance.

"I told you to stay behind, Eren. This idiotic action could've gotten you killed – gotten the both of us killed! – Do you understand that?"

Eren's lower lip trembled at the harsh accusations. 

"I told you I had a mission. I told you it'd be dangerous, and now I'm not only risking my life, but yours too." Levi said in fury. There were fire burning in his usual placated eyes.

"I'm s-sorry." Wailed the boy in stammers. As frightened as he was, he didn't look away from the death stare of the man, "I-I was scared…that…you wouldn't come back…"

Again, the anger the man had bottled up evaporated into thin air like it was nothing.

"…I would have." He said lowly, letting go of the boy. "It's just a job."

"But I thought –" Eren looked at him helplessly, gathering up the courage to speak up, "I thought – _I_ was your job…"

Levi froze, stunned into silence. He had completely forgotten this aspect. The past few weeks have solely been focused on getting Eren's nightmares to disappear that he ceased to remember what happened before all that. Suddenly the scene in the cabin came crashing back: the look of dread on the boy's face as he stood there, announcing how immaterial the kid was… How long has the poor boy been keeping that to himself? And how could he have forgotten this ever happened…?

Once again, Levi knelt down on one knee, the ghost of wrath no longer present on his face. He stared into those pristine eyes intently, as if seeing all the unspoken words of the child.

"You're not a job." He said softly, locking his gaze, "…You're my kid."

…

…

…


	25. Underground

…

…

…

Eren looked at the slight opening on the ground dubiously. The man had led them through the woods through a complicated route, bypassed two towns, and came to a small clearing where nothing else seemed to bloom. How he managed to find this place was beyond Eren. In the middle of the barren grounds, was a small pit that seemed to lead down to the center of the Earth.

As Levi cleared the dead leaves and branches near the opening, Eren peered at it carefully. It was very dark inside, and something inside the boy was squirming, giving him an awfully bad feeling in his stomach. He tried to take a closer look, but as soon as he took another step, a deep voice sounded from within.

"Name?" Erupted the voice from the darkness.

Eren almost jumped a mile.

Levi, however, looked as if he found this incredibly normal. "Levi."

"Purpose?"

"Here to see Springer."

There was some light shuffling, and an eye appeared out of nowhere in the darkness, gazing up at them. Eren cried out and fell back, but Levi grabbed his wrist and pulled him up again.

The eye peered at them intently for a while before blinking out of sight. There was some shuffling from the inside of the pit, and finally, the opening was revealed. It looked like a pothole that could fit one man.

Eren tried to recoil. There were goosebumps on his arms and the last thing he wanted was to go down there, but Levi stepped into the black void like it was nothing and the boy had no choice but to follow.

Once inside, Eren's jaw dropped open a few inches. It wasn't another dungeon like he had imagined at all. The boy blinked hard to adjust to the dark ambience, and saw in front of him, an entire city at the foot of the long stairs he was standing atop. There were houses, all kinds of houses, lopsided and battered; stone buildings that were taller than the bell tower he had seen above ground, and crooked paths and streets all over. There was another world inside the small hole they had climbed in – a whole underground world he had not known of.

"Ticket?" Asked the same cold voice, and it made Eren jump again. Turning his attention back, the boy saw that the voice actually belonged to a guard at the top of the stairs. He only had one eye.

Levi, however, did not take out a ticket. Instead, he handed the guard a small wad of cash. The guard's eye travelled to Eren for a second before taking the money, acquiescing satisfaction.

Levi grabbed Eren's wrist and started down the seemingly infinite stairs. The boy followed clumsily, still in shock of what he had witnessed.

It seemed to take the pair forever to reach the bottom. As Eren finally made his way to the flat ground, he was surprised to see a couple of kids his age gathered close to where they descended. They stared at him and Levi curiously as they walked by, though none said anything. As they walked on past, Eren turned around to look at them, and they were still waiting at the end of the stairs.

"Levi?" Asked Eren, tugging on the man's sleeve. "What are they doing?"

"Waiting." Replied Levi without looking back.

"For what?" Asked the boy, more curious than ever.

",…" Levi's face darkened a shade. "…the sun."

"…Sun?" Repeated Eren. He didn't understand at all. Utterly confused, he looked back at the kids again. This time, he saw something else. A tiny ray of sunlight had shot through the cracks of the opening high above, forming several small golden specs at the foot of the stairs. The kids had obviously known what time and what angle the sun would reach down here, and were all gathered around the golden circles, chattering excitedly and fighting over who gets to stick their hand in the sunlight first. It was something Eren had never seen before, and he couldn't even begin to understand it.

"…Why don't they just go up…?" Asked the boy incredulously.

Levi frowned, and the same light frown lines on his face deepened. "…This is hierarchy, Eren. The proletariat do not 'go up'."

"Huh?"

The man sighed lightly. "…They are not allowed." He explained briefly.

This only raised another million questions within Eren. But the man's tone was final, and the boy knew him well enough to stop asking questions. Instead, he pondered carefully what Levi had said. Maybe those kids didn't have a "ticket" to go up.

Eren looked around at the underground world again. Some of the excitement was wearing off, and he saw for the first time how desolate this place was. A whole other world that existed under the feet of others, where there was no rain or shine, no other life except the half-lives of the succumbed people down under, and the stagnant air that filled their lungs.

The boy stole yet another look at the group of kids by the stairs. They had shifted slightly due to the change in the sun's position. The small rays of light were disappearing, and they were squeezing every last second of the shine hurriedly, arguing over who gets to touch it next.

Suddenly, Eren felt his eyes burning. He whipped his head around and caught up with the man in from of him, unable to watch any longer.

"…I'm lucky." Whispered the boy softly, staring at the ground.

"What?"

"I'm lucky." Eren repeated stubbornly.

Levi stopped and turned to look at him, stumped by this sudden outburst.

"I grew up in the sun." Eren raised his large emerald eyes to gaze at the man, "And I saw trees, and grass, and flowers, and…and birds. …I had so much more."

"… …" The man gazed back, something stirring behind those cold grey eyes.

"…I just didn't know I was lucky." Finished Eren.

The man didn't speak, but Eren knew better than to demand a response. He didn't regret what he said though. It seemed very important to let the man know, although why it was important, Eren couldn't explain it.

The pair walked in silence for a few more minutes before the man spoke up. With his back to Eren, his voice was unperturbed, "…There will always be people more or less fortunate than you, Eren. The world is never fair."

…

…

…

Levi stared up at the tall stone building ahead of him, his face expressionless. Years had passed but Springer had not relocated. He was still on the highest floor of the highest building in the Underground, so close to the surface yet always beneath. The irony was not lost upon him.

Beside him, Eren was also gazing up at the building, but in fascination instead.

Levi's large hand settled on the boy's back and gently guided him through the door. As they climbed the stairs, Levi used this time to prep the kid.

"Stay close to me, Eren. And don't say a word."

Eren blinked at him and nodded tractably. The small child seemed to understand the importance of these instructions.

As they reached the top floor, the boy was panting heavily, yet the man's breathing was as calm as ever. Less than welcome demands greeted them instantly.

"Who're you?" Asked a guard by the doorway. He was bulky and looked quite inadequate.

"I'm here to see Springer." Levi said coolly.

"Well, he's busy, he is." Slurred the guard.

The smaller guard next to him jabbed his chin towards Eren, "This ain't daycare."

"He's mine." Replied Levi. "Tell Springer Levi is here to see him."

"I told you, he's busy." The first guard said stupidly.

The second one, however, had understood the weight behind Levi's name. He muttered something under his breath to the first guard and moved out of Levi's way.

"After you." He said quite menacingly.

Eren gulped, but Levi had walked onwards, nudging him along with the large hand on his back. The boy chewed the inside of his lip as the guards pushed open the large oak doors to reveal the room inside.

Again, a sight Eren had not expected greeted them. Never had the boy imagined that a room inside a bleak stone building in the underground world would be so…lavish. Large velvet sofas were stationed around the room, with an ornate table of extravagant fruits and cheese in the middle. The walls were hung with all kinds of weaponry: swords, daggers, rifles, and pistols. Whether they were there for decorative reasons was unknown. Directly facing them, sitting on the heavily bejeweled armchair, was a man smoking a thick cigar. He was very well dressed and smelled of expensive perfume.

"Leviathan!" He said enthusiastically, chewing on the name that Eren has never heard anyone else call Levi, "Never thought I'd see you again."

Eren watched in trepidation as he stood up and walked somewhat lazily towards them. His tone was friendly, and he carried a wide smile upon his thin face, but something about this man terrified Eren, and the boy backed away a bit to hide behind Levi's legs.

"Springer." Nodded Levi.

"…And who might this be?" Asked Springer, glancing around Levi and taking notice of the child. In front Eren, Levi's body stiffened, but he quickly recovered.

"This is my kid."

Springer threw back his head and laughed, a shrill laughter that made the hairs on Eren's neck stand up.

"Levi, Levi, Levi." He tutted softly, bending down to take a good look at Eren, "I must say, societal norms do not become you… And how old are you, child?"

Eren cringed at being addressed directly. He sneaked a look at Levi; a look that was caught by Springer.

"There's no need to be scared." Springer smiled, "We're just talking here."

Up close, Eren finally realized why Springer was terrifying. Unlike everyone else in the Underground who had a heavy accent, he spoke eloquently and with grace. His voice and his smile were amiable, but they did not reach his eyes. Inside those black eyes was nothing but darkness.

Swallowing hard, the boy took a deep breath, "…Five." His voice came out higher than usual.

"And where's your mom?" Springer asked.

Eren looked away quickly, feeling the ping of pain stabbing at his chest whenever he thought of his mother.

"What's wrong, you miss her?" Asked Springer softly, sounding genuinely concerned, "…What's her name?"

"That's enough." Interrupted Levi, cutting him off.

Springer smiled again and stood up straight, his eyes colder than before.

"So, what can I do for you today, Levi?" He asked in a cordial tone, though the words seemed ominous somehow.

"…He's malnourished." Murmured Levi, lowering his eyes to rest on the child clutching to his pant leg, "He needs supplements."

If Springer was surprised, he hid it very well. Still smiling, he walked back to his armchair and sat down, folding his long fingers in his lap.

"…And what will you give me in exchange, my good man?"

"How much do you want?"

The cold smile stretched wider as Springer's fingers intertwined. "I have no interest in collecting monetary value from you, Leviathan."

This has been what Levi was dreading.

"It so happens I'm in need of a win." Springer continued, "A fight would do."

"No." Replied Levi icily.

"Then, I'm afraid, we have no deal." Springer said softly.

"No fights." Levi repeated. His tone was final.

Eren looked between Levi and Springer anxiously, not really comprehending the entire situation. He wasn't sure why Springer would need someone to fight for him, but he knew how Levi felt about the war, so maybe that was why he was against fighting.

For a short while, the two men faced each other in silence, both faces set hard as stone. Just when Eren thought they had lost, however, Springer's smile returned.

"Very well." He said easily, "Since we are old friends, Levi, I shall compromise…"

Springer whispered something to one of the guards and had him hand over a piece of parchment. Hesitantly, Levi opened the roll to find a hand-sketched portrait of a young boy close to Eren's age.

"My son." Springer explained pleasantly, "His mother and I quarreled, and she ran off with him. …I'd like him back."

"That's it?" Asked Levi, frowning at Springer. It was easy. Too easy. It seemed like a trap.

"That's it." Repeated Springer in the same pleasant tone.

Levi folded the parchment and put it inside his jacket. He gave a tiny jerk of his chin towards Springer to acknowledge him and guided Eren out of the room. No other pleasantries were exchanged among the two.

As they walked out of the gaudy room and the tall building, Eren couldn't hold back on his concerns any longer.

"Are you really friends with him?" The boy asked urgently.

"No." Levi denied pointblank.

"Then why are you helping him? Because of his son?"

"It's quid pro quo."

"What's that?"

"…Nothing." Sighed Levi, closing his eyes for a second. The kid was getting on his nerves. "No more questions, Eren."

The boy bit his lower lip and tugged on edge of the man's shirt from behind, "I-I have one more."

"…What?" Asked Levi, starting to sound exasperated.

The green eyes met the grey, then Eren took a deep breath and asked what he had been meaning to ask ever since they arrived here.

"How did you know they were waiting for the sun?"

Levi stared back, and a hint of surprise flashed behind his dull eyes. He had not expected the last question to be this. Yet then again, he had never understood the boy's train of thought. It was incredible how a five-year-old could make a man licked by war gain new insight through the eyes of a child.

He had not planned on disclosing this piece of information, though it seemed like the boy had earned it. One by one the bricks he put up around himself was starting to fall, yet just as Eren realized he had been lucky, Levi realized he had no intention of rebuilding.

He did not look away from the yearning eyes hopefully awaiting an answer. Instead, he volunteered the first piece of information about himself in the entire duration of his lifetime.

"…I used to live here."

…

…

…


	26. Questions

…

…

…

It had never occurred to Eren that Levi, too, had a shocking past. In the simplicity of his mind, Levi had always been a soldier in the Survey Corps. Yet that was foolish of him. Of course, everyone was a kid once – including Levi.

Eren glanced up at the man talking to the one-eyed guard on top of the stairs thoughtfully. What was Levi like as a child? Had he always been silent and cold? Did he ever laugh and run and play like the other kids he knew?

"…You're certain?" The man was saying.

"For shore." Nodded the guard, "Ain't no one go up withou' a pass. Ain't no one want to neither – not with the war goin' on above."

"And there are no other openings?"

The guard shook his head slowly, "Just de one. Change every month, too."

"And the old ones?"

"Nailed shut. Concrete an' all. Ain't no one getting out through dose."

Eren scrutinized the side of Levi's face in concentration, wondering what he would look like as a kid. It almost seemed wrong to imagine the hard, expressionless face on a child. As curious as he was, the boy wouldn't dare wonder what it was like for Levi to grow up here. He had been here less than a day, and his skin was already crawling with discomfort. He couldn't wait to go back to the dungeons inside the Survey Corps headquarters. Something about the Underground was sucking out all the hope he had inside, and it felt as bad as the prison cells he had been forced to live in.

Imagine growing up here… Eren looked around at the scene again. There were no fields to run in. No markets or bazaars. No bright sun to hurt his eyes. No funny clouds in the sky. No chirping of birds or squeaking of squirrels.

Nothing.

There were just people, and gloom, and the desperate yearning of crawling out of this hole. How could Levi have had anything close to a childhood down here? How could anyone?

Eren remembered his parents taking him into the fields when he was younger. He remembered running barefoot on the crisp grass. He remembered there was a particularly large butterfly that day, and it had perched briefly on the tip of his nose, making him squeal with delight. It was hard for the boy to accept that Levi never had any of that.

A few steps up from Eren, Levi had finished his conversation with the guard. He handed him another wad of money before heading down to where the boy stood. As they walked down the many stairs once more, a new thought buzzed into the boy's mind and Eren snapped his head up to look at the man.

"Levi?"

"…Yes?" Asked Levi distractedly, still contemplating the information given by the guard.

"How did _you_ leave then?"

Levi stopped walking. A small part of him regretted ever telling Eren about his past – it was obvious that was all the boy had been thinking about for the past few hours. He should have known revealing one section of his life would only lead to a thirst for more.

As private as he was, he did not want to lie to the boy. Any lie would taint the innocence he had strived so hard to protect.

"…Erwin." Replied the man simply.

Instead of looking confused, however, Eren's eyes lit up at the single word. "Erwin saved you." Said the boy childishly, "Erwin saved you like you saved me."

Those were two incomparable events; and thinking about it made Levi feel incredibly uncomfortable. But the boy had obviously made up his mind and actually looked quite proud of himself for coming up with the analogy.

Levi turned away, unable to carry out the conversation any longer. Instead, he focused on the task at hand. No one had seen a woman with this child anywhere in all the hostels, lodgings, or temporary shelters. The guard has confirmed no one was able to sneak out above ground, let along smuggle out a child. This meant the woman and the kid was still somewhere in the Underground…yet where? They'd need a place to stay, and no one in the Underground would dare harbor someone trying to escape Springer. He was a powerful presence in the Underground, all-knowing and ruthless – no one would cross him, not when everyone was just trying to stay alive.

"Does your family still live here?" Piped Eren, trailing behind Levi.

Levi froze, and the boy walked into the back of Levi's legs. Rubbing his forehead, Eren looked up at the man in daze, not understanding why they had stopped. Yet when the man turned around, the pure fury in his dead eyes terrified every fiber of the boy's being. Suddenly he wasn't the reticent yet gentle man anymore. Suddenly he was the grim reaper himself.

"I…I…" Stammered the boy, attempting to apologize, but the shudders got worse and he shrunk back more and more, hoping the shadows would conceal him.

"No more questions." Said Levi in a dangerously low voice that was barely audible, yet every syllable pierced the boy.

For the rest of the afternoon, Levi did not speak to Eren again. The boy followed him sheepishly as the man continued with the investigation, regretting his invasive questions. Eren remembered how angry Levi was when he ruined the Wings of Freedom piece of cloth with ink, and he connected the dots in his mind: he must have said something that hurt Levi as much as losing his friends did.

What if the man didn't have any family anymore?

Eren's stomach seemed to twist into tiny knots. What if the man, like him, had lost all his family? And here the boy was, prying into that pain he bottled up inside. Guilt filled the poor child up and he balled his tiny hands into round fists.

The next time Levi addressed Eren was after the entire day of asking around. The investigation had led nowhere, and he had no choice but to get them a very shabby room in the residential quarters of the Underground.

As Levi cut up the blob of greyish food he bought off the streets, the boy had already wobbled over the uneven floors to the battered table. Levi watched from the corner of his eye as Eren carefully laid the man's jacket over the back of the chair – just as he had done every single day in the small cabin at the training camp while he waited for the man to come home, and every single day in the dungeons of the Survey Corps Headquarters.

Some of the tension left Levi's shoulders as he watched Eren smooth over the crinkles tentatively.

Finally breaking the silence, Levi pushed over the food on a cracked plate he found in the room.

"Come and eat."

Eren climbed up the chair opposite of him docilely like a little animal. But as the boy stared down at the greyish guck, he wrinkled his nose.

Levi didn't blame him. There were very few commodities down in the Underground, and the gap between the poor and the poorer is so severe that disparities in food distributions were more than normal. For residents that didn't have a distributed amount of food, the only available edibles on the market were "blocks".

Blocks were a disgusting mixture of food scraps all chopped up and cooked together before being sold in units. Most of them contained what fodder would: cow intestines, chicken bones, and pig blood. It had been years since Levi ever ate a bite, yet now here he was again.

"Eat." Threatened the man again as Eren played with his half-block with his spoon.

Eren's small mouth turned downwards into a tiny pout as he unwillingly ate a spoonful of the blob. As soon as he swallowed it down, his nose wrinkled up even more, and he refused to eat another bite.

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"Finish your food, Eren."

Eren sniffed and ate another bite reluctantly before putting down his spoon again.

The man did not have the patience to play House. He reached over, picked up the spoon, and scooped up a huge spoonful of the goo. It was disgusting, but beggars couldn't be choosers and the boy was already malnourished. If Eren wasn't going to eat, he was going to force feed him.

Eren yelped as the spoon pried over his teeth and pushed a huge portion of the block inside his small mouth, almost choking him. Coughing, the boy swallowed with all his might to free his airway.

"Can you eat by yourself or do you need me to keep feeding you?" Asked Levi darkly.

"…Eat by myself." The boy murmured fretfully.

"Good." Said the man as he sat back. He surveyed Eren as the boy bit back tears and ate in silence, making tiny gagging sounds along the way. Finally, Eren managed to finish the half block and put down his spoon, looking very much grossed out.

As Levi cleared the plates, however, Eren chewed on his lower lip the way he did whenever he was thinking hard about something. The man had obviously noticed this trait and stopped what he was doing to acknowledge the boy.

"What is it?" Levi snapped sharply.

Eren looked up almost guiltily, caught off guard by the man's insightfulness into his emotions.

Levi had thought Eren was going to complain about being forced to eat the block when the boy reached out and grabbed his large hand with his tiny ones. His fingers were so small that they only closed upon one knuckled finger.

For a second, the pair froze in action.

Then, Eren's round jaded eyes stared deeply into Levi's.

"I can be your family." Said the boy clearly and hurriedly.

Levi glared at the youth face filled with hope; the widened green eyes filled with yearning; and remained speechless as the innocence of a child came dangerously close to seeping in his sheath. How? How could this unknowing kid be his Achilles' heel?

A soft and distant tune blurted out of the silence, reaching their residence through the walls. A harmony like no other floated in the air, paired with a velvet throat.

Eren's lips parted slightly as he whipped his head towards to sound.

"What…What's that?" Asked the boy. He had never heard anything like it.

Using his distraction, Levi snatched his hand out of the boy's grasp.

"Music."

"Music." Repeated Eren softly. He climbed down his chair and peered through the tiny window on his tiptoes, trying to pinpoint the origin of the wondrous melody. As he watched doe-eyed, another soft tune carried out, completely different from the first one, and clashing with it horribly.

Eren raced across the room to the other side to listen to the second melody, eyes glistening incredulously. He had never heard anything so beautiful.

"It's wonderful!" Gushed the boy as he looked back at Levi.

Levi closed his eyes and tried to take it in. He had lived here for so long that the "wonders" of this place had long worn off on him. In fact, he had never stopped to appreciate to music of the Underground.

"…Yes." Agreed Levi somewhat half-heartedly as to not disappoint the boy.

"Does it happen every night?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Levi's slanted eyes snapped open, and they were clear as the skyless ceilings of the Underground. The kid did not understand. The kid did not know that music was an outlet for desperation; a means of venting. He only saw what was good, he did not witness the drugs, the gambling, and the endless prostitution.

"…It's hopeless down here." Replied Levi softly, his voice monotonous, "People need something to believe in."

The smile slid off Eren's youth face inch by inch as the sentence sunk in. The excitement disappeared as quickly as it came.

"…Did you also sing?" Asked Eren in a small voice. "When you lived here?"

"No."

"Then how did you believe?"

"I didn't."

Eren blinked, caught off guard. In his mind's eye, the man was the veneer of faith. How could he, out of all people, not have beliefs?

The thick brows furrowed together as the boy bit his lower lip, looking like he was trying to solve a hard problem.

"Then…" Murmured the boy, tilting his head to the side, "How do you believe now?"

Levi's chin tensed to make his jawline more prominent. It was a question he never wanted to acknowledge, not because the answer to it was negative, but because the boy himself – with his incomprehensible emotions and his naive stupidity – was why.

For once, his life had meaning.

For once, there was a future.

Levi had lived numbly. He never planned more than one expedition ahead. If he did, it was impersonal, theoretical strategy. He'd heard Petra talking about going home to her father after the war; and he'd heard Hanji gush on and on about what experiments she'd do on actual titans, yet they all seemed intangible to him.

His future, for as long as he could remember, remained a grey dullness, much like static noise. He did not have expectations, nor did he care for them. It did not matter to him when or how it would end, as long as he had done his duty beforehand.

Yet, it mattered now.

He understood perfectly that the boy's entire life depended upon him. Whether the boy lived or died, was based on how the man would play out his actions.

How did he believe now?

A shooting star had glazed through the dullness, splitting the noise apart by its streams of blinding light. And at the end of it, stood a shadow of a small figure, blurry from being so far away, yet undeniable existent.

That was how.

…

…

…


	27. Regrets

…

…

…

Eren stared at the heap of odorous rags on the cold ground and the guards standing next to it. He had never seen anything like this. From between the old cloth poked out a scabby hand with dirty fingernails. The wrinkled skin on the hand looked wax-like from illness.

"Is he…?" Whispered the boy, pulling at Levi's sleeve.

"Dead." Replied Levi coolly. He grabbed Eren's wrist and tried to pull him away from the scene, but the boy was hesitant to leave.

"What'll happen to him?" Eren asked softly.

"The guards will take care of it."

"So…bury him…" Said Eren quietly as he thought of Armin. "But…we're already underground, aren't we?"

Levi pulled at the boy harder and forced him away from the dead beggar on the streets. "They'll take him to the pit."

The boy looked up at him inquisitively, eyes shining with more questions, but Levi did not specify. He didn't want the kid to know how they dealt with bodies down here in the Underground. There were no burials due to how cramped the area was. Each body was disposed of by burning in a large pit so as to refrain from epidemics breaking out. The pit was dug in another layer underneath the Underground so residents wouldn't get carbon monoxide poisoning from the fires. It was hard to imagine that something even more depressing existed under these very grounds they stood on.

Suddenly, Levi stopped dead in his tracks. He had forgotten about the death pit until now. A hypothesis slowly formed itself in his mind as he presumed the likely scenario.

Slowly, Levi knelt down to speak with the boy. The gray eyes were conflicted.

"Eren," The man started carefully, "What you'll see may scare you, so I need you to close your eyes, can you do that?"

The boy stared back curiously, his thin lips turning very white. After a while, Eren gulped loudly and nodded.

"Then come. Quickly."

The pair followed the guards carrying the beggar's body near yet another entrance into the ground that went deeper than the Underground itself. Eren watched the guards dump the limp body into the hole and carefully descend into it themselves. Then there was a sharp sound of a match being lit and the cackling of flames.

Already having an idea in his mind about what was happening, Eren clutched the man even tighter. He didn't want to go down under there. He didn't want to see for himself.

Levi, however, remained composed as he undid his ascot. Then, he tied it across Eren's nose and mouth as a mask so the kid wouldn't breathe in the fumes.

"Close your eyes."

Eren squeezed his piercing green eyes shut as tightly as he could. He felt a swift swooshing as air rushed upwards near his ears and then a gentle thud onto what sounded like dirt ground. Next, an awful smell reached his nostrils even through the ascot. Subconsciously, Eren opened his eye to squint through the smokes, but Levi's large hand came down and covered his eyes protectively.

"Whachoo doin' down here?" Demanded a voice that Eren assumed belonged to one of the guard.

"Springer business." Replied Levi.

The guards murmured something back but Eren didn't make it out. There were footsteps trailing away and then the only sound that remained were the cackling fire. Levi guided Eren onwards and the boy followed blindly in the man's footsteps, seeing nothing but the warm darkness from the palm of the man he trusted.

Levi's slanted eyes swiped the premises. There were several shabby cabins built down here, mainly for family members of the deceased who wished to witness the cremation and stay any additional number of days to grief. But of course, it would also serve as a perfect hiding spot for anyone on the run. No one would think to look here because no one would ever want to live here next to the pile of decaying bodies. Unless they were trying to escape from something even more appalling.

One cabin that stood on the far end looked especially conspicuous. The dirt in front of it was wet, unlike the dry hard ground near the other cabins. It was as if the owner was attempting to do some gardening.

Pulling Eren along, Levi made his way swiftly into the house. The door creaked a bit, but it appeared to be empty inside. This was easily one of the oldest cabins Levi had ever stepped foot it. There was no floor as the cabin was built directly on top of the dirt. There were amateurly made furniture scattered around the small place, and some crude decorations on the walls, as if someone had desperately tried to brighten the place up. In the room directly facing the door, there was a thin bed on which laid a sleeping boy about Eren's age. He had a clean shaved cut, a round face, and sickly colored skin.

Levi removed his hand from Eren's face. The boy blinked furiously as he adjusted to the light. He saw the other sick boy sleeping in the bed and looked at Levi inquiringly.

Levi, however, held one finger to his lips to silence the boy.

Before he could take another step, a swoosh of air came from behind. Levi stepped swiftly out of the way as the woman behind him missed with her slash.

"G-Get away from him!" Shrieked the woman in a terrified voice. Her hair was coming out of the bun on her head, and her hands holding the kitchen knife were shaking so badly she was on the verge of dropping it.

"Calm down." Replied Levi, stepping in front of Eren to shield him.

"GET AWAY!" Screamed the woman again.

The sick child on the bed had woken up and was looking at the scene in front of him in fright. "M-Mom?" He whimpered.

Levi held up his hands slowly in good faith, palms facing the woman. "Springer sent me." He tried to explain.

The woman gave an anguished cry and swung again with all her might towards him. Levi moved out of the way as the knife missed him again and lodged into the doorframe.

The sick child in the bed started to cry. He tried to sit up but was too weak to do so, and ended up coughing and crying in little fits.

Levi turned to face the woman. She was trying to pull out the knife with no avail. It was stuck deeply into the wooden frame. Just as he thought she would come at him with her fists, she fell to the floor at his feet.

The gray eyes widened as the woman knelt at his boots and wept.

"Please…sir…" She said in a choked voice, "I beg of you…"

"… …" Levi stood rooted on the spot.

"He doesn't want Connie back…" She sobbed, "He's doing this to spite me, to punish me. Connie is sick, he'll die without proper care, _please…_"

Levi lowered his eyes to rest on the shaking hands now clutching to his pant leg.

"…I have orders." Said the man coldly.

"Have mercy!" Cried the woman, "Have mercy on us…"

The sick boy, Connie, began crying harder too. Levi tried to pry his leg out of the woman's grasp. Yet as he moved, Eren ran out from behind him and placed himself in front of Connie, standing with his arms outstretched and facing the man with nothing but pure determination on his youthful face.

Levi surveyed his kid coldly, understanding perfectly well what he was trying to do, but was fazed at his stupidity nonetheless.

"Get out of the way, Eren."

"N-No." Stammered the boy. The green eyes were fearful but resolute.

"Eren…" Said Levi through gritted teeth dangerously. He didn't have time to waste.

"He's sick."

"So are you. If I don't deliver him, Springer would not give us the supplements."

"I don't WANT the supper-mints!" Cried Eren.

Levi sighed and rubbed his temple exasperatedly with his thumb, "…Get out of the way."

"No!"

The woman had stopped crying. She was looking at Levi and Eren completely dumbfounded, not understanding the dynamic.

Levi, however, simply reached out, grabbed Eren's collar, and swung him out of the way. Yet before he could take another step, Eren had scrambled to his feet and ran back to his position between Levi and Connie, standing like a small fortress between the two.

"Eren, move. You don't know what you're doing."

"I do!" Shouted the boy. There was a green fire in those usually peaceful emerald eyes. "I know it's wrong to take a kid from his mom! I know my mom wouldn't let that happen to me if-if she was still here!"

What followed was the longest silence the boy had ever experienced. His arms were shaking from fear. He had openly defied Levi, something he had never done before, and he was terrified. He had no idea what prompted this outburst of courage, and he was dreading the consequences.

Finally, after an eternity, Levi spoke again, barely moving his lips.

"You're being foolish."

"No, _you_ are." Replied the boy, his thin chest puffed out in defiance.

The silence elongated. As the man stared into the determination in the boy's eyes, he seemed to capture a slimmer of something familiar. Something he had lost a long time ago, and something he had thought he would never witness again. He stared at it for a bit more, quite unwilling to let it go, before he finally turned away.

He walked a few steps to the door before turning his head slightly to speak over his shoulder.

"Get him out of here. The fumes will kill him."

The woman blinked, unable to speak. As Eren ran after the man out of the house, she slumped back onto the floor, aghast.

"Th-Thank you." She whispered when she finally found her voice.

…

…

…

As they made their way up from the death pit and into the Underground, Eren remained frightened. He knew what he had done, and he was scared of the price he had to pay. He wondered if Levi would beat him. He wondered if Levi would leave him here. Just the thought alone of being left in the Underground made Eren's blood run backwards through his veins.

Sure enough, when the man turned to look at him, his face was as dark as the boisterous clouds from a storm.

"Do you understand what you've done?"

"Save Connie." Said the boy stubbornly.

"At your own expense." Added Levi, "Do you even know what the supplements do?"

Eren thought about this before realizing he didn't. "…No." He said in a small voice.

"They make you well enough to participate in experiments. The experiments need to be successful in order for the Authority to grant you a pardon."

"A…what?"

Levi stared at him hard, "…They'll take you if the experiments don't work."

The boy's breath got caught in his throat. He looked at Levi disbelievingly.

"And the experiments can't even _begin_ to work until you take the supplements and start participating. Do you get it now?" The man's voice lowered as the depressing concerns overshadowed the both of them, "…They'll take you away from me."

"I…" Eren whimpered, tears welling up, "I…I didn't…know..." He couldn't stand the thought of being away from Levi again. He couldn't endure the prison again. He just couldn't. Half of him wished he hadn't stepped up to save Connie. What did it matter to him whether Connie was taken or not? Reuniting Connie with his father wasn't a death sentence, not like the one that he had to face…

"Don't do that." Stated Levi icily.

"Huh?"

"Regret."

Eren looked at the man in awe and shock. He had pinpointed the boy's emotions exactly.

"What's done is done." Levi continued dispassionately, "You made a choice, now you live with it."

He bent down and grabbed the boy's wrist again.

"Don't look back."

Eren let himself be led and walked behind the man compliantly. Even in a place like this, the man still had the usual aura of faith around him, dimming away the gloom.

"…So, they'll take me away again?" Eren asked chokingly, tears blurring his vision.

The man's grasp on him tightened briefly, but only for a mere second.

"Not this time."

…

…

…


End file.
